Stranded
by brycewhite
Summary: A 'what if' version of the Season 3 episode "Lana I Ka Moana" (Adrift). What if Gil Scates wounded one of the guys in the boat before he left them stranded in the middle of the ocean in a leaky dinghy? Warnings for language. Gen. (first H50 fanfic!) (see fic for further notes)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, first foray into the Hawaii Five-0 fandom, with an episode base fanfic. **

**Season 3, episode 3, "Lana I Ka Moana" (Adrift)... I loved this episode, and wanted to see so much more. There is so much you can do with two men in a leaky boat (sorry, dinghy!), stranded in the middle of the ocean! Seriously! **

**I shamelessly stuck to the script almost word for word, (because awesome is just awesome, right? Please be patient though...) and used all the great dialog and banter between Steve and Danny, and simply added to it. I took this episode storyline and wrote a 'what if...' version. What if Gil Scates (when he fired his gun on the boat) actually hit one of them, and left them stranded and bleeding in the middle of the ocean? (Yeah, okay, so I'm a huge fan of whump too lol)**

**To fit in with my version, I changed a couple of things: the Coast Guard rescue boat is bigger than the one in the episode... Whereas the episode seemingly took a day to solve the case, my fic is over 2 (3 if you count the sweet scene at Kamekona's shrimp truck)... I also (along with sticking with the awesome script) used a teeny bit of dialog from a movie because it fit Steve and Danny so, so well. **

**Usual disclaimer-Though I wish I did, I don't own Danny or Steve, or anything to do with Hawaii Five-0, and this is all just for fun. **

**On with the fic...**

_40 miles south of O'ahu..._

Danny had to admit, it was the perfect day for deep sea fishing, and for at least this one time he really couldn't find much to complain about the pineapple infested hell-hole that, to the New Jersey native, was Hawaii. Instead of the blistering heat there was a gentle cool breeze keeping the intense rays of the sun at bay, and even soothing waves that rocked the boat in a way that made Danny just want to sit back and relax while he watched his over-achieving partner frowning impatiently at the water, as if the tuna were deliberately not biting just to piss him off.

Running a hand over his hair, Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head. Patience was definitely not one of Steve's better known virtues. Although Danny should have known, when Steve suggested they spend their day off fishing, that being on Chin's uncle's _small_ boat for hours on end in close quarters with a hyperactive Navy SEAL, with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, was going to possibly turn out more stressful than the day before, when they'd chased down gun-wielding perps in the sweltering Hawaiian humidity and got shot at – repeatedly – for their efforts, because Commander _You're the backup, Danno_ McGarrett had refused to wait for the other half of their team.

And come on, would one more measly minute have made such a huge difference? One minute! Just sixty seconds... But nooo. Super SEAL Steve had taken command, all that was missing was the Lycra tights and the cape! Growling a string of expletives as the man had disappeared around a corner in a blur of cargo pants and tac vest, (and thank God the maniac was wearing it!), Danny had grabbed his gun and sprinted after him, vowing that when the day was over he was gonna shoot his insufferable partner too, just for the hell of it.

It might have even been worth the extra paperwork!

The light ocean breeze made his shirt, loosely fastened with only one button, bellow and Danny leaned back, closing his eyes and ignored the frustrated huff three feet away.

At least Steve was with him today and not lying dead in a pool of his own blood because of his _act-first-and-think-second-if-I-survive_ kamikaze stunt when he'd taken down two suspects at once by dive bombing onto them without a second's hesitation, or regard for his own safety.

A shiver ran up Danny's spine despite the warm sun, as the image of Steve disappearing amidst a hail of flying bullets replayed in vivid gory detail in his mind. He remembered the man he'd just cuffed bore the brunt of his heart stopping, paralysing fear, and Danny had actually found himself apologising for snapping on the metal bracelets far too tightly.

Something else that was all Steve's fault; _apologising_ to a criminal?

Danny had _never_, in all his years as a law enforcement officer, had to do that. _Ever!_

Steve, the bastard, had had the innocent _what the fuck did I do now?_ thing going big time, and Danny had been seriously, _seriously_ tempted to just shoot that fucking look right off his fucking face.

Paperwork be damned! He would've filed in fucking triplicate!

Chin, the consummate professional, kept his cool and coordinated the HPD while they secured the crime scene and took the perps into custody, (although by the look on Chin's face, Danny knew he was probably staying out of the way while he silently fumed over their crazy, insane boss's latest interpretation of proper police procedure). But Kono had spent the hour Danny had ranted at his partner scowling at him, before Steve finally relented and apologised and promised to remember his wallet for beers that evening. Danny had then made it his personal mission to make sure that was one promise Steve actually kept, by checking and rechecking before they'd finally finished up and headed to the bar.

Steve bought the first three rounds of beer. Kono added tequila to the tab.

Now, not that Danny would ever admit that he was a cheap date, but after a long, strenuous, tiring day, a couple of tequila shots and a few beers and he'd probably have agreed to dye his hair purple and have "Property of a Navy SEAL" tattooed on his right butt cheek if dared to. So saying yes was a given when Steve had suggested the fishing trip to him while they watched Kono hustle some poor tourist schmuck out of fifty bucks on the pool table.

And really, a relaxing day on the ocean on a boat called the _Aigle De Mer_, with company and beer, did sound good to Danny... It beat sitting at home alone in his crappy apartment, (because Rachel had taken Grace to the Big Island for the weekend), in his underwear, eating yesterday's cold pizza and watching TV.

Glancing at Steve again, who was re-checking their lines for the hundredth time, Danny couldn't help smirking at the ridiculous straw hat tied to the man's head with cord.

"_It helps with the glare from the ocean, Danno."_

"_Hmm...If you say so."_

That was Steve's excuse, (and the man had the gall to diss his ties?! Unbelievable!). Even so, Danny had let the subject lie and sat back, carrying on listening to his friend tell him about the times he and his dad visited their secret fishing spot as he piloted the boat expertly across the waves. It wasn't often Steve opened up about his life as a kid, and Danny found himself caught up in Steve's memories and smiling along with him.

But right now, Danny was mere minutes away from dangling Steve over the side and using him as SEAL bait. He twisted his body towards his silent partner fidgeting, _yet again_, with the fishing reels, noting the impatient frown creasing his brows under the straw rim of that stupid hat and sighed.

"What are you doing? You got something?"

Steve stared out to sea and shook his head. "No. No I don't have anything. I told you if you wanna catch anything today, Danny, we gotta trawl."

"Nonono," Danny immediately objected, hands quickly in motion, the rant naturally following. "No. Trawling is not fishing. That is you just driving around in a boat, just like you driving my car."

"Time out," Steve said, adding, as if it was totally obvious, "I thought the mission today was to get you your first tuna!"

Danny blinked. Mission? "Why does everything have to be a mission?"

"The goal was to help you catch an eye," was the answer.

With his palm up, Danny explained carefully, "There's no goal. There's no mission. We are just fishing. What that means is we relax. Have a couple o'laughs. Maybe we catch a fish, maybe we do not."

Steve watched the animated to and fro of Danny's hand impassively and retorted with, "Alright. But this right here, this is called sitting on a boat and not catching anything. Just so you know."

Shrugging, Danny stood up and headed to the cool box. "Fine. Okay, well that's where the beer comes in," he said pulling out two Longboards and twisting off the caps. "...Few laughs, pretend we're friends. Right? That's all." He handed a bottle to Steve and they knocked them together in a toast. "Salud."

A moment went by as they drank, and Danny just started to wonder if he should top up his high factor sun cream when Steve asked, "Right, what now?"

"What now?" Danny repeated. Jesus, it was like pulling teeth. "We talk. Y'know? Shoot the breeze."

"Okay, shoot."

Alright, so the man was going to make Danny work. Okay, he was fine with that. Danny could hold a one sided conversation with a lamp post if he wanted to. He settled with a subject he was curious about, hoping Steve would spill... "Ah, any word on your mother?"

"No, she's still on the island somewhere," he answered easily, drinking the beer, his keen eyes on the fishing lines.

Danny's curiosity tingled. "Doing what?"

"I dunno," Steve said and then admitted, "I got lines out."

Oh yeah? "S'one of those lines Catherine?" Danny asked, his eyes narrowing when Steve hesitated.

"Maybe."

Oh, that was classic. Danny chuckled, "Ah that's good. Your girlfriend checking up on your mother. That... that should turn out very well."

Throwing a defensive look at Danny, Steve quickly corrected, "Right, first of all, she's not my girlfriend. Second of all, she's not checking on my mother, she's using her contacts in Navy intel to locate my mother, okay? Nobody's gonna know."

"Oh. No, nonono..." Danny contradicted, his index finger emphasizing his point, "Ah, your mother is a spy and a woman, she will know, trust me."

Steve pulled a face and quickly conceded. "That's a good point."

And what the hell did Steve mean, Catherine was not his girlfriend? Did the man even know the definition of the term? "Let me ask you another question. What is it with Navy SEALs? They're not allowed to have girlfriends?"

"What are you talking about?"

Danny ignored him, waving his Longboard in his direction instead. "I mean how would you characterise your relationship?"

"Well we, I mean... she's..." Steve stuttered, trying to find the words, "We, we have a thing."

Danny seriously needed to buy Steve a dictionary, maybe one with pictures. "A thing, you have a thing," he agreed, arms sweeping wide because _a thing_ was so general a term.

"Yeah, that," Steve nodded.

"It's called a girlfriend. Who, by the way, you're asking to spy on your mother," Danny pointed out again.

"Not spy! Locate, Danny." Right, whatever! "Spy. Locate. They're different," Steve insisted.

"Okay." Backing down at the frustrated frown on Steve's face, Danny asked, "Do you have any idea where she's at?"

"No idea at all. I'm doing everything I can to find her, but my mother was a highly trained spy for twenty years and she managed to stay hidden that whole time, so she's not gonna make it easy for us." He sighed and tipped his bottle back, swallowing another mouthful of beer, and stared at the ocean.

"What about your sister?" In for a penny, in for a pound... and so far, Steve seemed to be okay talking about it.

"Well... I mean, I haven't told her. What am I gonna say? I haven't told her yet," he admitted. Danny was surprised at that, and actually didn't envy Steve the task of telling Mary-Ann that her mother, who had died when she was young, wasn't actually dead at all, and was a _spy_.

"Wow. That should be an interesting conversation."

They shared a look, but then Danny's fishing reel span, startling them into action.

"Oh, oh, okay!" Danny cried, grinning, grabbing his pole. Steve waved his arms urging Danny into the fishing chair that was secured to the deck.

"Set the hook! Set the hook, Danny, jam it!"

"Alright, set," Danny answered, hands busy reeling in his catch. Steve, however, had suddenly turned into an excitable five year old bouncing behind him making the small boat rock even more in the waves.

"Okay, set the hook, set it!"

Oh my god! "I'm setting it, I'm setting it!" Danny repeated still reeling in the line.

"Set the hook! Release the drag a little bit!"

"Alright! Would you stop with the back seat fishing?"

But Steve wasn't listening. "Okay, just keep the pressure on," he instructed loudly.

"Stop! Can I have something of my own?" It was no good though. Steve was caught in the moment, so Danny decided to just go with the flow. "Get the gaff!"

"Keep the pressure on it!"

"Just get the gaff!"

"All right, good job," Steve nodded and grabbed the gaff.

Danny alternately pulled at the rod and reeled in the line until he could see his prize splashing near the surface of the water. "I got it!"

"I see colour, I see colour, Danny! It's a tuna, buddy," Steve shouted, slapping Danny on the shoulder.

"Hey tuny! It's a tuny! It's a tuny fish, you son of a tuny fish!"

"A tuna, Danny. Yeah!" And between them they hooked and landed the fish.

Adrenalin still pumping and with grins stretching their cheeks, both Steve and Danny looked down at the fish on the deck and laughed. The damned thing was nearly as big as the ex-New Jersey detective! They toasted the tuna and finished their beers.

"Oh, here, take my cell," Danny said reaching for the tuna. "I wanna send Grace a picture of the huge fish her Danno caught!"

Smiling, Steve grabbed the cell phone and held it up, snapping images of Danny and his tuny fish.

Adjusting his hold of the tail, Danny nodded, "Alright, go ahead, take another one."

"You gotta smile," Steve said.

"I'm not gonna smile, it's not very manly. C'mon..." Damn, the thing was heavy.

"I know a guy who stuffs and mounts these," Steve announced as he clicked off the camera function. Danny considered the offer, for all of two seconds.

"You know, I don't think I'm a dead fish on the wall kinda guy," he decided. "S'gonna be dinner. I'm gonna have Kamekona cook us up a feast. It's gonna be great."

Steve shrugged as Danny put the tuna in the ice box, his eyes catching the glare of a small boat in the horizon of the ocean.

"Hey..."

"What?" Danny automatically asked.

"Look at that," Steve said handing Danny's cell phone back to him and reaching for the binoculars.

"What?"

"It's a boat."

"A boat. On the ocean! Go figure!" Danny fired back; he couldn't help it!

Peering through the binoculars, Steve frowned, "It's a guy in a dinghy. Looks like he's in trouble." Firing up the _Aigle De Mer_'s engines, he added, "Alright, we're gonna go take a look."

Danny quickly pocketed his phone and hung on as the boat bounced over the waves at what felt like Mach three, wondering once again about his insane partner and his need to drive other people's cars, and now boats really fast. "Isn't it a little far out to be in a tiny dinghy?" he mused loudly over the roar of the engines, already thinking about the many scenarios that could have ended with the man stuck helplessly in the middle of the ocean.

Rip tides, deadly undercurrents, mini tsunamis, capsized boats...

Any or all of the above.

Steve nodded, "Yeah. Definitely must be in trouble this far out, man."

They pulled up, rocking in the waves alongside the dinghy, Steve quickly cutting the engine.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" he asked.

The man in the dinghy looked up in relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys!"

Danny leaned over the side peering into the small craft. "What happened?"

"Ran out of gas," the man answered sitting back on his haunches.

Nodding, Danny picked up a rope, "Here, we'll give you a ride, alright?"

"That would be awesome."

"Grab that," Danny said tossing a rope over. The man caught it and allowed them to pull him closer to the boat. Danny helped him climb aboard. "Alright?"

"Uh huh," he mumbled. Danny's eyes caught the noticeable dried rust coloured stain on the man's shirt and frowned.

"You got blood on you," he pointed out. "What happened buddy, d'you cut yourself?"

Looking anywhere but his rescuers, the man fingered his bloody shirt and muttered quickly, "Yeah, yeah... Ah tryin' to fix the motor."

Steve stared down at the vessel now roped to their boat, noticing the small motor that was nowhere near adequate for ocean use alone. "Tiny little dinghy like that is not exactly designed for open water like this," he said, looking back at the man before asking, "What were you doing out this far?"

Before either Steve or Danny could even realise that something wasn't quite right, the man reached behind himself and pulled out a gun from the back of his shorts, aiming it right at the Lt. Commander's head. Shocked at the sudden turn of events, Steve stepped back a fraction and looked hard at the man.

"I need to borrow your boat." Like Danny and Steve had a choice in the matter!

"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me. You don't wanna do this, trust me," Danny said, hands coming quickly up in a defensive gesture when the gun was suddenly aimed it at him instead.

Angry and desperation lacing his voice, the man repeated, "I said I need to borrow your boat! I am not gonna ask twice!"

Taking advantage of the small window of distraction, Steve kicked in his Navy SEAL training and tried to disarm the man by going for the gun, but he wasn't fast enough. Danny watched in horror, his heart hammering in his throat, as his partner almost got himself killed by a crazed madman, blinking wildly and sucking in a sharp breath when a gunshot echoed loudly around them. His wide eyes automatically searched for a smoking, bleeding hole on Steve's person, and it wasn't until he saw the stricken, panicked look on his friend's face that the pain, white hot and searing, registered in his left shoulder.

"Danny! Oh God..."

**Be patient, it is not all just a written down version of the episode. I promise...We're just getting going :)  
**

**Thanks, Bryce.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! Wow, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments! I'm really pleased you're liking this one :o) (Tickled pink, I am hee) Bryce x**

**On with the fic... **

Steve couldn't believe it; the fucker had shot Danny! He lunged forward just as his partner's knees gave out and caught him before he hit the deck, carefully easing his descent.

"Hold on, you're gonna be okay... Let me see, Danny..." he murmured prying Danny's hand away from the bloody wound. He could see the man still waving the gun at them both in his peripheral vision, a stunned, shocked look on his face, and carefully moved so his body was shielding Danny's.

"St-steve..." Danny gasped, grinding his teeth against the pain. "Fuck, that _hurts_!"

Gently pressing onto the bloody muscle, Steve assessed the damage and bit down hard on his lips when he found an exit wound just above the shoulder blade on his back. A through and through. While a gunshot injury was bad enough, at least the bullet wasn't still in there wreaking havoc. He looked back at Danny's pale face, saw his eyes closed and the tight lines of pain around his mouth.

"Hey, look at me, Danno, stay with me," he murmured pressing harder trying to slow the bleeding.

"I...I, I didn't mean to do that, it was an accident," the man shouted harshly. "You, you should've just let me have the boat!"

"Just put the gun down and back away, man," Steve suggested lowly, looking over his shoulder. "We're Five-O. You just shot a cop!"

But the man wasn't listening. Danny opened his eyes when he heard frantic pacing and mutterings behind Steve, his focus wavering slightly when the pressure on his shoulder increased.

"Jesus, Steve," he hissed painfully.

"Sorry, buddy, just gotta stop you leaking blood all over Chin's Uncle's boat here," Steve murmured, although the worry and concern belied the lightness of his words. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. The man was clearly agitated, their predicament was not good. He had to do something, or both he and Danny were dead.

Danny saw the look and pinned his crazy SEAL partner with a glare. "No, Steve, think about this carefully," he whispered quickly, throwing another look at the gun aimed at them both, shaking in the man's white knuckled grip.

Seeing the blood oozing through his fingers, the precious warm fluid pulsing freely with every beat of his friend's heart, Steve looked up sharply. "Danny, I-"

"Hey. _Hey_!" the man shouted stopping whatever Steve was going to say. "Get up. I said get up! Now!"

Steve slowly turned, holding one bloody hand up, the other still pressing onto Danny's shoulder. "He's losing a lot of blood, man. We need to get him to a hospital," he tried calmly.

Stepping forward, the man pointed the cold barrel of his gun two inches from Steve's head, his shaking finger tight on the trigger. "I don't give a _fuck_," he growled menacingly and Steve knew then the situation was hopeless; there was no reasoning with the man. "I'm taking this boat. Now get up!"

Nodding, Steve assisted Danny unsteadily to his feet, holding onto him as the boat unhelpfully rocked in the waves, making sure their movements were unhurried and non-threatening. He could feel his partner trembling in pain, but kept his eyes firmly on the man and that gun as his mind rapidly worked out a way where both he and Danny survived this.

Their options were severely limited.

He could see the back pack tucked just inside the entrance to the galley, where both their Five-O credentials and weapons were safely stored for the trip, and was just about to try reasoning one last time as a subtle way of distraction when the man suddenly stepped forward, and with a crazed look in his eyes, and shouted, "You have two seconds to jump in the water, or one of you is gonna be shark chum! NOW!"

Realising that any hesitation now would only result in Danny, or himself, being shot again, Steve grabbed his partner and they both jumped overboard into the ocean. He kept a hold of Danny, keeping the blonde head above the water, and kicked away from the boat as fast as he could when he heard the rapid fire of two more gunshots exploding sharply over the sounds of the waves.

Spluttering when the sea water slashed in his face, Danny cried out, unable to keep quiet anymore as each movement shot agonising bolts of pain from his shoulder and through his body. The world swam in swirls of blurred colours, and he could feel the cold tendrils of darkness pulling at him under, and Danny sluggishly wondered if drowning would hurt if he was unconscious anyway.

Hearing the engines of the _Aigle De Mer_ start up, Steve felt numb; his mind whirling with hopelessness... How the hell were they going to survive this? The chances of swimming back to land, with an injured and bleeding man in tow, were about as nonexistent as another boat sailing by and picking them up. The analogy _Needle in a Haystack_ unhelpfully came to mind and Steve felt like screaming out at the unfairness of it all.

It was a veiled blessing that Danny wasn't exactly compos mentis at the moment, because drowning was a hell of a way to die.

He pulled his friend's body closer to his own, and held on tighter. A forty mile swim normally wouldn't be a problem for Steve, but this far out, and severely hampered with his precious burden, there was no way he'd be able to fight the merciless and unforgiving power of the ocean.

The boat sailed away and Steve found himself automatically futilely swimming after it, but then he stopped, his eyes widening when he saw the dinghy bobbing in the churning water. The man had cut the craft adrift! Steve didn't hesitate, his survival instincts in overdrive, and with a silent prayer aimed at the heavens, he quickly started swimming towards it.

Not taking his eyes off his target, Steve shook his head when a wave hit him full in the face, and called out, "Hey, Danny. You still with me, buddy?"

"Mmmmm..."

"Good. We're nearly there, Danno... just a few more feet, alright?" Steve kicked faster when he felt Danny's body sag even more. "C'mon, man, don't give up on me now. Hold on, nearly there..."

"S'okay, Steve, won't hurt... be okay," Danny slurred softly opening his eyes and looking at the red tinged water slashing around them. He frowned confused. "The water's all red. Thought the ocean was blue."

Relieved that Danny was still with him, still talking, (even though the slurred words scared him), Steve pushed into his energy reserves and closed the distance between them and the dinghy, shaking the salty water from his stinging eyes with each stroke.

"Actually," he spluttered breathlessly. "It's the... water filtering the sunlight... that gives it the colour blue."

A light chuckle warmed Steve's ear. "Steve the Science Guy's back. I knew that... about the light. Gracie... homework last month."

"I'm sure... you did, Danno," Steve huffed. The dinghy was then within reach and he grabbed the rope panting heavily, and turned them both to face it. "Okay, Danny, gonna need your help here."

With a heave, he pushed his partner up out of the water while Danny tried his best to hang on and climb aboard. In a matter of moments, he was slumped in the well of the small boat staring at the hissing holes spewing air.

Steve launched himself out of the ocean, and after seeing what Danny was staring at, (the bastard boat-jacker had shot the dinghy!), he frantically looked about and saw the small rubber hose in the gas can, immediately getting to work plugging the holes with it.

"Danny, I need you to hold this, right here," he instructed guiding Danny's hand to one end of the knotted hose. "Hold it tight..." He pulled and knotted the other end, and then slowly slackened the stretch until the knots plugged the holes. "Let go..."

Danny's shaking hand released its hold and he looked at the repair. "Is it alright?"

Steve sat back panting. He nodded, "That should slow the leak." Satisfied, he turned back to Danny and carefully peeled back his shirt away from the bullet wound. It was still bleeding badly, obviously aggravated by the impromptu swim in the ocean.

"How much time is this gonna buy us?" Danny asked as Steve carefully helped him out of his shirt, his voice tight with renewed pain. Ripping the shirt into strips, Steve concentrated wrapping Danny's shoulder in a makeshift bandage as best as he could. Danny, however, wasn't too impressed with what Steve had used.

"I dunno, it's not gonna hold forever."

"Well, that's just great," he muttered to himself, hissing when Steve secured his arm to his chest with the wet material.

"Should slow the bleeding," Steve said wincing at the red tinged pool in the bottom of the dinghy. He looked at Danny's pasty face, blushed already with a slight sunburn, and the glassy eyes trying to stay open. Shock was now a huge problem, and one Steve would rather not have to deal with. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"How am I doing? Are you kidding me?" Danny gawped, his one remaining free hand raised and waving about. "I got shot, Steven! I have a hole right through my left shoulder! How do you think I'm doing?!"

"Yeah, I know, Danno," Steve nodded actually, for once, thankful to hear Danny ranting. He placed his palm on Danny's forehead, sighing in relief when the heat there was no more than the slight sunburn he had.

"Hey, hey, stop that, I'm fine," Danny scowled, grimacing as he moved to sit up higher in the dinghy. Steve leaned forward to help until Danny put his hand up to stop him. "I'm good. I got this."

"Just let me know if you start feeling sick or dizzy, alright?" Steve said seriously.

Too late, Danny thought miserably, he was already feeling dizzy, and the now constant nausea was threatening to end his new No Puke streak he'd had to restart shortly after the crazy SEAL came into his life and turned it on his head, with stomach lurching car chases and heart attack inducing stunts. But he nodded, swallowed down the bile in his throat and sighed.

"So, we're in a boat, a leaky boat. Sounds like sinking to me, Steve," he pointed out, eyes glancing at the temporary repair again before watching Steve checking out the small motor.

"Technically it's a dinghy, but we're not sinking, okay?"

If he knew it wouldn't hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, Danny would've laughed out loud at that. Instead he pinned his annoying partner with a glare. "I stand corrected. We're stranded in a slowly leaking _dinghy_!"

"We're not stranded," Steve insisted looking up, but Danny's fuzzy mind just didn't get it. What the hell was Steve talking about?!

"Hey Steve, I don't know if you've noticed but we're in the middle of the ocean, okay?" Danny said in a loud voice. "How... how's that not stranded?"

"You done?" Steve, the impossible pain in Danny's butt, asked with a raised eyebrow that just riled Danny up even further.

"No, no, I'm not done. In fact I haven't even got started yet, and as of today I am done helping people in boats, specifically ones with guns, okay? I have been there, I have done that, and I got shot!"

Hearing the tight edge of pain and fear in his partner's voice, Steve quickly apologised. He was seriously concerned about the blood loss and although Danny ranting meant he was still with him, he didn't want his friend any more worked up than he already was.

"Okay, I am sorry about the gun, I didn't see the gun, and I'm sorry I got you shot," because he remembered Danny's rule that when you got someone shot, you apologised. "But I thought the guy was in trouble."

"_Was_ in trouble, Steve," Danny emphasised. He slumped back with a pain filled gasp. "Now he's not 'cause he's got our boat. Oh, and acceptance of your apology is contingent on whether we make it home alive, Steven. Therefore it is duly noted."

"You let me know," Steve answered softly, repeating the familiar words spoken a lifetime ago. It was a dance they knew well.

Danny nodded with a tired smile that didn't reach his eyes. He fumbled awkwardly in his pocket for a second and pulled out his water-logged cell phone, looking at it forlornly before pitching it into the ocean. "You owe me a cell phone, and a new shirt, too."

The breathless slurring quality to Danny's voice made Steve look sharply at him, frowning when he saw the almost grey pallor under the sunburn, the listless slump of his body and closed eyes. He left the motor and quickly pressed two fingers against his friend's neck.

"Danny?"

Washed out blue eyes opened and blinked rapidly. "You're violating my territorial bubble."

Snatching his hand back, Steve bit back a smirk recognising the familiar quote from the other night when he and Kono had made Danny sit through _The Frighteners_, (a movie surprisingly enough actually chosen by Chin). "You quoting movies at me now, Danno?"

"I hate you," Danny mumbled by way of an answer.

"No, you don't." Steve's worry notched up when Danny's eyes slid closed again and he gently tapped his cheek. "Hey, stay awake, y'hear? Stay with me, Danny..."

"Nowhere t'fuckin' go other than a dip in the ocean," Danny muttered, taking a deep ragged breath and sitting up straighter. "Oh, yeah, done that already," he bitched.

Wiping a shaky hand over his face, Steve blew out a harsh breath. They were in a heap of trouble, and although he would never admit it out loud, Danny was right. They _were_ stranded in a slowly leaking dinghy in the middle of the ocean. Their time was running out, and no one knew where they were. Add the fact that they had no water and Danny was already becoming dehydrated due to the blood loss, and probably starting to fight an infection from the bullet wound...

The one thing he had to do though was keep his ailing partner awake and alive, and the only way he could think of was baiting him, deliberately provoking Danny into doing what Steve assumed was a Williams family trait, a genetically ingrained need to rant.

"Why don't you sit there and keep complaining while I figure a way outta this, alright?" he bitched right back and turned to the motor again, closing his eyes briefly at Danny's quick retort.

"Fine. Just please do me one little favour and tell me we have gas, please!"

Oh, if only life was as simple as that... "Negative, we do not have gas," he reported and ditched the engine into the sea with a splash.

"Why did you do that?" Danny looked shocked and dismayed. He couldn't believe Steve had just done that!

"It was busted."

"You could've fixed it. You could have snapped some technical Navy SEAL knowhow on it and fixed it," because seriously, what the fuck where they going to do now?!

Steve shrugged. "Maybe, but we're outta gas, okay? And it was weighing us down," he explained, "but we have rope."

Rope? Danny looked at Steve as if he'd grown an extra SEAL head, another just as insane as the one already there. "Martha Stewart, please do me a favour and tell me how macramé is gonna help save us right now!" A rope? God help us, Danny thought. His shoulder ached and he had to swallow down another wave of nausea as he watched Steve futz about with the rope. Hmmm... Maybe they could lasso a dolphin or a whale... a nice big whale and hitch a ride back to shore... Or even two turtles like Captain Jack Sparrow in that movie Grace liked so much. Yeah, that'd work with Captain Lt. Commander McGarrett's stupid rope...

"Hey, Danno, open your eyes," Steve urged with a not so gentle nudge. "Stay awake, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah..." he murmured forcing himself to look at his partner. "Seriously, Steve? Macramé?"

"I'm tying a tow rope." No. Just no... The whole lassoing sea creatures was too much, even for a SEAL.

Danny flicked his hand up and cupped it to his ear, "Oh good! Now all we need is a tow, or a phone to call one with!" Unbelievable! He stared out at the horizon, silently willing it to stop wavering in and out of focus and making him dizzier than he already was. "Just tell me which way is land."

Checking the position of the sun, Steve pointed in one direction, "That way."

"This way," Danny mumbled, gasping as he tried to turn and get his free hand into the water.

Dropping the rope and steadying Danny when he slipped against the blood slick side of the dinghy and cried out in pain, Steve helped him to sit back again, frowning hard at the shallow panting and unhealthy hue of his skin. "What're you doing?"

"What am I doing? I'm exercising, what does it look like I'm doing? I'm paddling!" Danny immediately griped and wiped his hand over his face before pressing it to his shoulder.

"Save your energy, I'm gonna tow us, okay?" Steve stripped off his vest and secured the rope around his chest.

"How are you gonna tow us? We're miles away from land! Huh?" A breathy laugh escaped his lips. Steve the Super SEAL! Maybe lassoing sea creatures wasn't so far off after all...

"What?" Steve frowned, checking Danny's pulse again. It felt rapid under his fingertips, and it alarmed him that Danny didn't even seem to realise he was touching him. "What's so funny?"

Smiling, Danny pointed at Steve and murmured, "Towed by a seal," before chuckling softly to himself. Steve frowned harder and just looked worried and confused. "Sorry. I'm just rambling," Danny sighed and tipped his head to the side looking at the rope now looped around Steve's body. "So, you're really gonna tow us, huh?"

Now, Steve knew the islands were habitat to a variety of sharks, including the Great White (even though those were rare in Hawaiian waters), and was extremely nervous about getting into the water, because he was a little anxious that Danny's blood could have attracted uninvited predators to the area. But their dinghy was slowly sinking and he had to do _something_.

"Just relax, Danny, I've done it before," the SEAL told him with more confidence than he actually felt.

"Oh, you've done it before?" Danny repeated. "Oh, I see, 'cause you like this, huh. This is fun for you. You enjoy this. This is a challenge for you, right? Skills test, be all you can be and all that crap, huh?" he laughed as if he couldn't believe that this was his life right now. Steve, of course, wasn't helping any.

"That's the army," he corrected patiently and twisted ready to jump into the water. "Alright."

Danny panicked, "Hold on. Hold on... just stop for one second. What am I gonna do?"

Looking hard at his partner sitting in a puddle of his own blood, Steve could see the fear and pain in the blue eyes locked onto his as if his life depended on it, and in a way it did. He leaned forward and cupped Danny's warm face with one hand, "You stay awake, Danno. You stay awake for Grace, understand me?" he said sternly. "You keep watching me out there as I tow the dinghy, but promise me you'll stay awake. Promise me, Danno..."

"Yeah," Danny swallowed thickly, "promise, Steve. But... what if-"

Steve got it; Danny was scared that he'd slip away while he was all alone in the dinghy, and he looked around and found an empty water bottle. "This is what you do; I want you do bail, okay? Take this... bail."

"Okay," Danny nodded taking the bottle in his one hand. He shuddered out a breath, "Woah, oh, ah, it's a dinghy, right? So, like, it can't sink..." He looked at Steve, desperately wanting that confirmed, but the man just pursed his lips.

At the terrified look on Danny's face, Steve wished he could tell him what he wanted to hear, but he wouldn't lie to him either. He just prayed that setting the man a simple task would be enough to keep him fighting, keep him awake... and keep him alive.

"Just bail," he repeated. "Think of it as busy work to keep your mind off the situation."

Situation? Other than the fucked up mess they were in now? Danny quickly needed to know, "What's the situation?"

Crap. "There is no situation," Steve said, annoyed at himself for his apparent poor choice of words. "We're gonna be fine, just trust me."

"Trust you! Trust you... trust you!" Danny grumbled. "Hey, I was happy sitting at home on my couch in my underwear watching the Jets, okay? But no, you wanted me to catch a tuny-fish!"

At least Danny was still alert enough to rant, even if there was no real strength behind the words. Steve would take anything and hang onto it with all he had, baiting Danny even more. "You gotta admit, it was just a little bit fun reeling in that big fish though, huh? Huh?"

"It was..."

"Wasn't it good?"

"It was fun, ah, but the boat... the boat jacking not so much fun," Danny agreed cracking a tight smile as Steve grinned at him.

"Stay awake, Danny, keep watching me and start bailing," he said, stood up and dived into the ocean. Danny flinched when the water splashed him.

"Jesus! Thanks, Steve," he bitched swiping his forearm across his face. "S'not as if I wasn't already wet!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! Bryce x**

**On with the fic...**

Danny watched Steve swim ahead of the dinghy, his powerful strokes steady and rhythmic, and felt the slight lurch when the rope became taut. He dropped the bottle and twisted his body, determined to help paddle when he noticed Steve's arms slow under the weight of the tow.

A huge wave of despair washed over him and he swallowed hard at the hopelessness of the situation. He was going to die in the middle of the ocean, miles away from anywhere, all alone leaving his best friend fighting for both their survival by pushing himself until there was nothing left to give.

Life just sucked. Years as a cop, risking his life everyday and surviving, and this was the way it was all going to end? Danny never saw this coming. Even partnered with an insane Navy SEAL, he never thought he'd end his life as fish food. His irrational part of mind told him he should have known though, because fate was a bitch, and she'd outdone herself this time.

An image of his daughter flashed in his mind and he bit back a sob. She was the one thing that made his life worth living, his _raison d'être_, the one thing he'd done right, and his very _soul_ ached so, so much that he might never see her again. Her angelic face, her infectious smile, her beautiful, big bright eyes ... She had her mother's eyes...

He never regretted leaving everyone and everything he'd ever known to follow his ex-wife to Hawaii, because he'd do anything for his precious daughter. What he did regret was that if he died, he'd be leaving her so young to grow up without her father. It was the one thing Rachel was most afraid of, being married to a cop. And even though Grace would still have her mom and Step-Stan, she wouldn't have her Danno.

And that thought, the idea of never seeing his little girl again, made Danny determined to fight harder, and he dipped his hand in the ocean and stubbornly paddled.

Eventually, finding he just didn't have the strength to help, he simply let his hand dangle limply over the side of the dinghy and rested his chin on the edge, resolutely keeping his eyes fixed on Steve. He could feel the baking sun on his bare back making his skin tight and sore, and was finding it harder and harder to stay awake and not give in to the calm lulling effects of the gentle rocking motions.

Danny knew he was in a bad way, and he knew Steve knew it, too. He'd lost a lot of blood, and recognised the telling symptoms of dehydration and the onset of shock due to the amount of his precious bodily fluid he'd leaked all over Chin's uncle's boat, in the ocean and the fucking dinghy. He was sweating, too, but his damp, clammy skin dried too quickly under the scorching Hawaiian sun, leaving him itchy and raw. Coupled with the intense throbbing, burning pain that radiated from his shoulder every time he breathed, Danny was pretty fucking miserable.

He had no idea what time it was. They'd set off that morning early, that much he did know, and was fairly sure it had been around noon when a gun-wielding psycho-pirate-wannabe had gate-crashed their relaxing little fishing trip and left them to die in a slowly leaking dinghy. But Danny still hadn't any idea how late in the afternoon it was. Of course, Steve, the know-it-all Super SEAL, could probably tell him down to the nearest nanosecond just by the position of the sun in the sky, licking his finger and holding up and seeing which way the fish were swimming, not that Danny could muster up the energy to actually care anyway.

Squinting out at the horizon still filled him with dismay when all he saw was ocean as far as his eyes could see; ocean, sky, and nothing else, and he seriously hoped Steve was swimming in the right direction, because he hadn't got a clue. He sighed wearily, breath hitching uncomfortably, rested his head on the dinghy and continued to silently watch his partner methodically cut through the waves, one long arm after another.

Just as he fought his eyes open once again, sudden renewed jolts of pain startled him instantly alert when _something_ nudged the front of the dinghy, and adrenalin fuelled fear had him up in two seconds flat.

"Hey, what the hell was that?" he shouted out, his voice hoarse and raw. He looked up to see Steve stop swimming and turn to face him, steadily treading water to keep him afloat.

"What?"

"Something just bumped into the boat! Sorry, the dinghy."

Looking alarmed, Steve shook the water from his eyes and shouted back, "What d'ya mean something?"

Danny's eyes caught the shadow of something big just under the surface of the water, and his anxiety and fear for his friend quadrupled. "Something! Steve, there is something in the water, there is definitely something out there," he shouted urgently, waving his one good hand frantically. "C'mon, c'mon, get in the boat! What're you doing? C'mon!"

Steve, his eyes darting over the surface of the water, started back for the dinghy. Hearing the sheer terror in Danny's voice spurred him on, because his rational mind told him that the 'something' had to have been attracted by the scent of Danny's blood, and that was bad.

A fin broke the surface, slicing through the waves like a knife, and Danny's breath caught in his throat. He looked at Steve only a few feet away and saw the shark heading right for him.

"Steve, it's a shark!" he yelled, gasping through the pain in his shoulder to lean forward, hand outstretched. "Get outta the water! C'mon, c'mon! Hurry up!" Jesus Christ, it was gaining on Steve and he wasn't swimming fast enough! "It's right behind you! Get in the boat, get in the boat! C'mon, c'mon, get back in the boat! Come on... Come on!"

In a matter of seconds, Danny grabbed his partner's bicep and helped him back into the dinghy just as the wholly terrifying, huge, deadly fish swam by, so close that Danny swore he saw the thing's fucking teeth!

Panting, Steve leaned forward on his knees. "It's a dinghy."

What the hell? "It's a dinghy, huh? Even in the face of death you are annoying," Danny grouched, slumping back with his hand tight against his shoulder, watching as Steve's eyes roamed the ocean.

"Where'd it go? Ohh... That's a Tiger Shark, man," he said wide eyed, clearly both awed and scared shitless. Tiger Sharks were known man-eaters. He'd literally escaped with his life.

"That's a Tiger Shark," Danny repeated, shock settling in at the frightening turn of events.

"Yeah," Steve simply nodded. He looked at Danny, frowning at the man's flushed appearance.

"Well, no big deal then, right?" Danny snarked incredulously. "Have you seen Shark Week? I don't wanna be on Shark Week, alright?! That thing gets near you, you punch it in the nose, trust me."

Shark Week? Steve rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna punch it in the nose!" He leaned over and pressed his fingers against Danny's throat, ignoring the scowl directed at him.

"That's what you're supposed to do; otherwise it eats your hands! I'm telling ya, I know this stuff," Danny carried on, wincing when Steve checked his shoulder.

Hiding his worry because Danny's pulse was too fast and weak, and he could practically feel the heat pouring off him from two feet away, heat that had nothing to do with his sunburn (which was bad enough), but everything to do with the raging fever he was now fighting, Steve balled up his discarded vest and dipped it in the ocean, squeezing the excess over the side.

"I'm not gonna disrespect this animal by provoking it," he stated, keeping up the lively discussion. He gently laid the cool wet material against Danny's burning skin, smiling tightly when he heard the grateful sigh.

"Please, please don't get all 'Island' on me now, okay?" Because, come on, a shark was a shark! A wave of dizziness rolled through Danny and his eyes slipped closed, only to snap open when he felt Steve's hand on his face.

"Besides, I'm cramping up bad, man, I need a rest," Steve murmured. It was true; his muscles were beginning to spasm painfully, though he knew he could go for a lot longer yet. But his concern over his friend, the man-eating shark currently shadowing them, and the fact that his plan to get them home had sunk along with his hope of being rescued made his mind up. "Right now, we take a break, we wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?" Danny looked around expecting to see a boat or something that Steve had neglected to tell him about.

"For the huge Tiger Shark to go away, Danny," Steve answered, adding determinedly, because even futile, any plan was better than none, "then we stick to the plan."

Sighing, Danny just shook his head. The ocean was devoid of anything except them, oh, and the fucking shark. "Trust me. It's gonna be a long wait."

"What, you're a shark expert now?" Steve mused, cocking his head to the side with a wry smile.

Scowl back in place, Danny lifted his finger and pointed it at his partner, "No, I am an expert on McGarrett the Danger Magnet!"

Of course! He was wondering when it came down to blame. "Oh, this is my fault?" Steve asked, grimly hoping it would provoke Danny.

Ranting meant he was still with him, still fighting...

"Who else on the planet earth could turn a nice relaxing day of fishing into a boat jacking and a shark encounter?"

A very good question, and given their bleak and grim situation, every fibre of Steve's being itched to just apologise for anything and everything, but he was scared that if he did, Danny's usually lively and active mind would quieten and he'd just drift away. Instead, he mustered up his inner bitch and let loose.

"I'm a danger magnet? Let me tell you something, it's your negative attitude!"

"Ooh I see, I see," Danny retorted right back. "So the shark can sense my negative attitude?"

Yeah, and smell his blood in the water, Steve thought darkly. He wasn't going to say that aloud though. "Sharks can sense fear, just like dogs."

Well, duh! "We are in a leaking dinghy, in the middle of the ocean, of course I'm scared!" Danny shouted, wishing he had the strength to punch him for pointing out the glaringly obvious.

Steve looked at him hard. It wasn't just the shark Danny was afraid of; it was the water, too. In fact in all his time he'd known him, he'd only seen his partner to go into the ocean a handful of times. Even surfing with him, Danny never ventured out to the big waves on his own. "It's water, Danny, it's just water," he reasoned wondering what the hell was going on with his friend.

"With Tiger Sharks and rip tides, and all kinds of other stuff to make you dead!" Danny counted off heatedly. "Not everybody's a Navy SEAL, Steve!"

The outburst exhausted what looked like the last of Danny's bluster, and Steve watched as he leaned his head back and sighed heavily, his hand, previously frenetically stressing his point, now lying limply on his thigh. He re-wet the vest and draped it over Danny's torso again, dragging a hand over his own face as his eyes tracked the movement of the Tiger Shark twenty yards to the left of them. He swallowed painfully, his dry throat raw, but doggedly continued on, needing to keep Danny awake and alert and fighting.

"Seriously, Danny, what is your problem with the ocean? Huh?" he asked bluntly. "I mean, who hates water? Sixty percent of the human body is water!"

Groaning, Danny lifted his head and fixed Steve with a baleful glare. He was tired, he didn't want to talk, he just wanted to rest, for fucks sake! "That explains why I hate people, alright? And you are at the top of my list," he hissed meanly.

"Yeah? Right now I'm thinking that shark would be better company," Steve bit right back when Danny's eyes closed again. Shit. "Hey, Danny-"

"Then go," Danny snapped, blinking rapidly awake. "Then go swimming with the Tiger Shark. But do me a favour... if he comes near you, punch him. I don't wanna be the one to tell your sister you ended up man-sushi!"

"Nobody is gonna be man-sushi!" Steve shouted back. "The ocean is fine, the ocean is safe, so long as you know what you're doing."

Licking at his dry and cracked lips, Danny shook his head. The ocean was deadly. It wasn't fine, it certainly wasn't safe... that not so friendly man eating Tiger Shark proved that. He leaned back and looked up at Steve, deciding to tell him why he hated the water so much. He reasoned that the odds of making it home alive were as good as making it through a whole week without being chased, shot at and/or beaten up at work with his crazy-assed partner anyway, so what would be the harm in sharing a private piece of his life with his best friend?

"I used to love the ocean, okay? I went to Wildwood every single summer of my life. My parents would rent a summer house there," he started softly, letting the long locked away memories flood his mind. "This one summer, my best friend Billy Selway... He comes with us, right?" Steve nodded silently. "And we had this competition thing going. Everything. Frisbee, ah, football, baseball, anything, you name it." Danny took a shuddering breath and shifted, bringing his hand up to his shoulder. "So, one day, we decide to swim out to the buoy and back. Half way out there I get stuck in this really bad riptide, and I, I start to panic. So, Billy sees me and he starts to head out to me, but then halfway out to me, something happens and he gets stuck in this undertow and, ah, one minute he's there, one minute he's gone." He stopped talking as he relived that awful moment, blinking when tears filled his eyes.

Steve pressed a hand to Danny's knee. "I'm sorry, man."

"Found his body three miles down the coast," Danny murmured shakily, "And I've... I've not told that story in a very long time." He looked back up at Steve. "It took me moving to Hawaii with my daughter to even get back in the ocean again. So, that is why I don't like the water, okay?" Steve squeezed his knee in comfort, warmed and touched by the fact that Danny had trusted him with such a painful childhood memory. Now, he understood Danny's fear. His heart ached though because he knew he'd failed Danny, failed that trust, because he couldn't see a way to save them now.

They sat in silence for a moment while Danny collected his thoughts, but it was quickly interrupted when he bolted forward with a grunt, pointing towards the horizon.

"Oh, oh! What is that? What is that?"

Twisting around, Steve lifted his hand to shade the sun from his eyes as he squinted towards where Danny was pointing, his heart immediately thumping in his throat at the sight, the beautiful sight of a yacht, right there almost within reach! And in that instant, Steve felt hope flare again.

"It's a yacht," he grinned.

"Sure it's not a dinghy?" Danny asked sarcastically, but Steve didn't care. He patted Danny's knee and laughed.

"You're a funny guy."

Danny grinned back, joining in when Steve started shouting for help.

**H-5-0**

_Iolani Palace, Five-O HQ_.

Lt. Catherine 'Cat' Rollins walked into the war room of the Five-O headquarters with a cell phone to her ear and a troubled look on her face as she clicked it off. Kono looked up questioningly.

"Any luck?"

"No, they weren't at the South Shore sailing club and Steve's cell keeps going straight to voicemail," Cat frowned. "Any luck on tracking the phones?"

Kono shook her head, "No, both signals are dead. How late are they?"

"Three hours. I'm officially worried. All I know is that Steve said he wanted to take Danny to his dad's secret fishing spot to get him his first tuna. Something's wrong..."

Chin walked in hearing the tail end of the conversation and added helpfully, "So, they took my uncle's boat, so I should be able to track the GPS."

Both Cat and Kono watched keenly as Chin's fingers danced across the smart table. He looked up confused. "You said Steve asked you to pick them up from the South Shore Sailing club?"

"Yeah."

"They're on the North shore," he said, pointing to where his uncle's GPS signal was blinking on the computerised map of the harbour there.

Not wasting any more time, all three grabbed their weapons and credentials and rushed to the North shore to find out what was going on.

When they got there, all they found was an empty boat. Kono quickly headed back to the harbour's office, while Chin and Cat boarded, their eyes instantly drawn to the dried blood smears on the deck, and the bloody shirt stuffed down beside the pilot's chair.

"Oh, my god," Cat breathed. She gingerly picked up the shirt.

"Do you recognise who that belongs to?" Chin asked.

"Could be Steve's, I don't know," she said thickly, wincing at the bloody hand prints on the side of the boat. What the hell had happened, and where were the guys?

Chin frowned when he found the back pack, still with Danny's and Steve's guns and badges inside. "They wouldn't have left these behind," he murmured uneasily.

Kono returned having talked to the harbourmaster, reporting that no one saw the boat dock or anyone leave, and lightening had taken out the security cameras anyway. "We need to check the hospitals, get the crime lab down here, find out what the hell happened." She saw the blood and went pale, swallowing hard.

"Well, at least we know they went fishing," Chin said when he found the tuna fish in the ice box.

It was little consolation.

**H-5-0**


	4. Chapter 4

**Many thanks once again for the lovely reviews, guys! Bryce x**

**Next part...**

Steve whipped his head around at the sound of splashing, frowning hard when he saw Danny trying to help paddle the small leaking dinghy towards the yacht.

"Hey, hey, what're you doing?" he snapped. "I thought I told you to sit back and let me do this!"

Danny blinked slowly, his sunken, pain filled eyes narrowing determinedly. "I'm helping, Steven," he growled, "We'll get there faster if I help."

Leaning forward, Steve carefully eased Danny back against the dinghy side and swore under his breath when he saw the fresh blood seeping through the makeshift bandage. Cold fear rippled through his gut as he pressed his palm to the wound, eliciting a weak, breathy groan.

"Danny, stay with me, buddy, stay awake, man," he urged anxiously, nodding when Danny opened his eyes and pushed Steve's hands off him. "You gotta stay awake, and keep still. I can get us to the yacht, alright?"

"You'd better paddle faster then... 'cause I don't wanna be sitting in a floating smorgasbord for that fucking shark when there's a perfectly nice, safe _boat_ right there," Danny mumbled.

Seeing the effort Danny was making to stay conscious, Steve decided he'd help the best way he knew how. "And I will, Danny, if you sit still and stop bleeding all over the damned place, alright?" he ordered sternly.

"If I stop bleeding-?" Danny snorted. "Oh, excuse me for getting _shot_, Steven!"

Resuming paddling, Steve smiled grimly despite himself, the continual soft tones of Danny's rant keeping him going. And when the litany tapered off, he coaxed even more with taunts and teases.

"Hey, you know, you got that baked lobster look going perfectly, Danno. Better not let Kamekona see you, or he might serve you up with his garlic shrimp as an appetiser!"

"Oh, that's funny. See me laughing so hard, my sides are splitting," Danny scowled sarcastically. "It'll be your fault if I get skin cancer after today. You're fault, Steven!"

"Of course it will be," Steve said, in a tone that wasn't very convincing. It prompted the right response.

Lifting his hand, Danny motioned to Steve's body, although sunburned too, his native, seasoned skin fared better. "You... You, of course, have to have the complexion of a Greek god. All bronze tan and _glowing_," he complained. "Me? I'll be pink, sore and peeling for _weeks_!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Steve grinned. "Greek god, huh?"

"I hate you so much," Danny muttered and dragged his fingers tiredly through his hair.

The silence went on a second too long for Steve and he bit his lip. "So, I'm loving the curls, Danno," he teased knowing Danny's hair was a particular sensitive subject. His normally swept back style had now dried wavy in the sun. It looked like a serious case of bed head. "You know, I bet Chin and Kono are gonna love knowing how cute you look right now with those baby curls, huh?"

"Don't even!" Glaring at Steve, Danny pursed his lips. "You fucking _dare_ mention my hair to them and I'll... I'll...

"You'll what?" Steve taunted.

"I'll rearrange your kitchen cupboards," Danny threatened menacingly, raising his brows like he meant it when Steve snapped his head around and glared at him, Aneurism Face in full force. "I'll take all the labels off all your cans..."

"No, Danny... You don't touch-"

"You are such a control freak, Steven!" Danny ranted. "Always have to drive _my_ car, always have to have the TV remote thingy even in _my_ place... and your house is so neat!"

"What's wrong with a neat house?" Steve frowned confused.

"You alphabetise and date your fridge contents!" Danny shouted incredulously. "Who does that? Is it an army thing?"

"Navy, Danny... it's the Navy," Steve corrected yet again. "And no, it's not a _Navy thing_! I have a tidy house. So what?"

"You have a tidy house," Danny repeated, adding, "What you _have_, my friend, are issues... of the anally retentive kind."

"How did we get from your baby curls to me being anally retentive?" Steve scowled. Danny laughed, pressing his hand to his shoulder.

"What can I say? It's a talent, babe."

"It's a talent, he says..." Steve muttered under his breath and turned forward again, eyes on the yacht not far off now. A moment later, he looked back at Danny when he'd become worryingly quiet, panicking when he saw his friends closed eyes. "Hey! Hey, Danny!" he shouted, kicking out and cautiously nudging him with his foot. "I'd better not catch you napping on the job, brah!"

"Are you kidding me, Steven? What job, huh?" Danny slurred hoarsely, rubbing his hand over his face. "If I had my gun I'd shoot you first, and then the fucking shark just for the hell of it."

Steve shook his head and sighed shakily, closing the last few yards between them and the yacht. It looked abandoned, bobbing silently in the waves like a ghost ship, and Steve could see elegantly painted letters on the stern spelling out the name 'Katie'. But at least it wasn't damaged or sinking.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," Danny said softly after a while. Steve glanced over his shoulder, continuing to paddle as he did so.

"What am I doing, Danny?"

"You, my friend, are deliberately provoking me into ranting at you," he accused, his finger jabbing in his direction.

Steve flashed him a quick knowing smile.

"There," Danny confirmed, eyes narrowing.

"What?"

That innocent look _so_ didn't fool Danny. He sighed and smiled at his friend. "Thank you."

"For what?" Steve asked.

"That. For making me rant at you, keeping me awake," Danny answered equally as softly, "For making sure I didn't give up, fought for Grace."

Simply nodding, Steve held his eyes for a moment. "Anytime, Danno."

"Oh, you know what movie quote comes to mind right now?" Danny asked after a beat. "Y'know, with the whole tiny dinghy and the huge man-eating shark situation we got goin'?"

Chuckling, Steve had a fair idea, but he played along and shrugged.

"_We're gonna need a bigger boat!_" Danny mimicked badly and laughed. "Get it? _Jaws_!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Danno, and what d'ya know?" Steve grinned pointing at the 'Katie' just feet away, "There you go. Just for you, a bigger boat!"

Danny gritted his teeth and hauled himself up, quickly calling out, "Hello?"

Steve joined in, "Hello!"

After a few seconds, Danny frowned. "Doesn't look like anybody's up there."

"Hello!" Grabbing hold of the small dive platform at the stern of the craft, Steve noticed the empty couplings that could be used to secure a small craft. "Hey, think this dinghy belongs to this boat."

Danny saw what Steve was looking at and agreed, "Yeah."

Hooking the dinghy back on, he carefully helped Danny onto the 'Katie', hyper aware of the fresh blood staining the dinghy and dripping over the side, turning the water a grisly murky red. Resolutely ignoring it, he half walked, half carried his friend to a shady corner of the deck and gently eased him to the floor. "You alright?"

"Yeah, man," Danny gasped, breathing hard through the pain of moving. "Glad to be on a boat that isn't leaking."

"Yeah, me too." Steve stood up and looked around, threat assessing before he devoted all his attention on his injured partner. He saw suspicious signs of foul play and deduced, "Looks like our boat-jacker was onboard."

"What kind of idiot leaves this nice boat to go out in the open ocean in that miserable dinghy?" Danny wanted to know, because that made no sense to him what-so-ever!

Spotting a smear of blood, Steve grabbed a gaff and held it up for protection. "Danny, that's why."

Eyes widening, Danny instantly stiffened. "That blood's fresh." He frowned when Steve ventured towards the cabin, hissing, "Hey, what're you doin'? Be careful!"

Throwing Danny a typical McGarrett _I got this_ look, he ignored the dramatic eye roll and slowly, cautiously entered the cabin. "I got more blood," he shouted out to Danny when he was satisfied they were alone on the boat. "Body, too. He's dead. Answers why our jacker was in the dinghy. He was fleeing a crime scene."

While he was in the cabin, he carefully tried not to disturb the evidence and raided the boat's supplies, finding bottled water, a first aid kit and grabbing a couple of blankets too, before quickly heading back up to Danny.

"Looks like our victim was shot three times, close range," he reported putting his supplies on the deck. Kneeling by his partner, he gently shook him, "How're you doing, Danno?"

Looking up, Danny nodded, slurring, "More than ready to get the hell off this ocean." Steve completely agreed with that. He busied himself uncapping two bottles of water, urging Danny to drink to get some of the much needed fluids he'd lost back inside him. He held the bottle steady as Danny's hand shook, carefully tipping it to his lips.

"A little more, babe," he murmured when Danny closed his mouth and turned his head away. He was desperately dehydrated and Steve was seriously worried about low blood pressure and the onset of seizures and shock he was ill equipped to treat. "C'mon, you need to drink, Danny."

"So do you," Danny muttered, gasping as his stomach cramped and twisted. Nausea suddenly flooded through him like a tidal wave and he pitched to the side and retched, bringing up what little water he'd managed.

"Shit!" Steve felt utterly helpless as his friend shuddered in pain and could only hold him steady until the spasms stopped. Danny then just slumped listlessly against him, panting shallow pain filled breaths.

Carefully leaning him back, Steve gently palmed his burning cheek. "Hey, Danny, open your eyes, okay?"

"Fuck... So much for my... new streak... S'all the same... t'you, gonna... pass out now," Danny mumbled. His mouth felt thick and like it was full of cotton wool and his insides were twisting in excruciating knots, his whole body one huge mass of pain, and he just wanted to escape, to give in to that sweet, sweet pain free oblivion that lurked just at the edge of his consciousness... So tempting... Luring him like a Siren's call... He groaned annoyed though when he was shaken back to his world of hurt.

"That's it, Danno, stay with me... C'mon, man, don't do this..."

"Huh?"

"Jesus, you scared the shit outta me," Steve sighed heavily when those pale blue eyes finally opened again. "Don't do that again!"

Danny blinked slowly confused. "Do what?"

Shaking his head, Steve lifted the bottle to Danny's lips again. "Slowly this time, alright?"

Steve's heart was still thudding hard in his chest because when Danny had passed out he'd truly panicked for those few seconds. He knew without essential medical attention, there was a good chance that if he fell unconscious, Steve might actually lose his partner, and Grace would lose her father. With the limited supplies they had, the only way Danny was going to make it home alive was if he fought, and fought hard, and that meant staying awake for as long as he could to do that.

Slowly swallowing half the bottle of water, Danny had to admit that he felt marginally better. Granted, he still felt like he'd been hit by a ten ton truck, twice, but the cool liquid was heavenly on his raw throat and chapped, dry lips, and drinking it slowly made sure his body didn't complain so violently.

"What about you?" he asked when he'd had enough. Steve looked exhausted and flushed, his skin dry and sunburned in areas, too.

"You good? You're not gonna be sick again?"

"Not if I can help it, no," Danny said softly and watched as Steve started to gulp down the bottle. "Hey, hey, slowly, Super SEAL!"

Steve looked sheepish having his own words thrown back at him, but then gradually downed a whole bottle until it was empty.

"Oh god, that's good," he sighed wiping his forearm across his brow. He smiled at Danny's answering grin, and then reached for the first aid kit, tipping the contents on the deck; sterile pads, salve, antiseptic solution, bandages, eye wash, safety pins, surgical gloves, OTC Tylenol and a cold pack. Not much to work with at all.

"What is that?" Danny asked as Steve carefully removed the torn strips of shirt from his wounded shoulder. He picked up the small object. "This is a 9mm, same calibre as our boat-jacker."

"What're you doing, man? It's a crime scene," Steve stated curtly trying not to show his alarm when he saw the red, inflamed, puffy mess that was his friend's shoulder.

"Oh, excuse me. I'll be sure to pack latex gloves next time we go on a fishing trip," Danny muttered back and, with careful exaggeration, put the small shell case back down.

Grabbing the antiseptic, Steve busied himself soaking a sterile pad. "Just preserve the crime scene. Just... just..."

"Okay, okay, it's preserved."

Hesitating with the pad soaked in the solution just above Danny's wound, Steve looked apologetically at him. "S'gonna sting, buddy, sorry."

"Just do it, babe," Danny nodded and hissed when what felt like liquid fire hit his skin. His fingers dug into his thighs with the intense pain, his vision greying at the edges. "Holy fuck... that _hurts_!"

Steve steadfastly finished cleaning the wounds, both front and back, wanting to get it over with but needing to do a thorough job. He hated causing his partner pain, but he drew on his training and got it done, finally applying the salve and pressing a clean bandage to the areas, securing them with the safety pins. "Hey, it's finished, Danny, it's over, okay?"

Swallowing hard, Danny tipped his head back and closed his eyes, panting through the pain. "How bad?" he slurred.

"Bad enough," Steve mumbled. He shook out a couple of the Tylenol and gently placed them between Danny's lips, holding another bottle of water to his mouth to wash them down. It was bad. The wounds were inflamed and infection had started to take hold, and Danny's whole shoulder was tender and hot to touch. Steve just hoped he'd done enough until he could get Danny to a hospital.

"Be alright, babe, you'll see," Danny nodded tiredly. He pointed to the cockpit, "Alright, skipper, please go up there and get this thing started. Let's cruise back to shore, let's let the crime lab take a look."

And get you some medical help, Steve silently added. "That is a great idea."

"Thank you."

"Alrighty," Steve muttered trying to start the boat engines. Nothing happened.

"I take it that's not good," Danny stated from the deck.

"No, it's not good."

"What about the radio?"

Throwing down the handset, Steve frowned. "It's dead."

"Maybe it just shorted out," Danny suggested, that dreaded hopelessness feeling creeping back into his gut.

"The rest of the boat's got power," Steve said. "I gotta check the engines." He lifted the engine cover and quickly did a cursory once over on both engines, sighing as he stood up. "Alright. Both these engines are seized."

No... "Please tell me you can un-seize them," Danny beseeched.

"I'm gonna see what I can do," Steve nodded and ducked back down into the small engine compartment. A sudden commotion had Steve jump up and made both men stare towards the stern. The SEAL grabbed the gaff and climbed to his feet, his eyes widening when he saw the Tiger Shark violently chewing through the sides of the dinghy, obviously after the blood.

"What? What's goin' on?" Danny hissed, trying to see. He held on subconsciously as the 'Katie' juddered under the onslaught of the shark attack.

"Stay there, Danny," Steve instructed and reached forward, using the gaff to unhook the couplings. The powerful shark used it's impressive, menacing strength, and razor sharp teeth to rip through the sides of the small dinghy, splashing waves of sea spray high into the air. It took a few tries, but Steve eventually freed what was left of the craft and swallowed hard as he watched the shark effortlessly drag it below the surface, never to be seen again.

"Steve?" Danny said when the noise and commotion stopped, leaving the yacht bobbing peacefully again in the waves. Steve turned and wordlessly stared at his partner, the harsh and frightening realisation of just how close they'd been to meeting a gruesome and grisly end themselves settling in with a cold shiver, draining the colour from his face. Danny sucked in a sharp breath unfortunately reading Steve's expression with frightening accuracy, and he fell back with a thump, gulping in air.

Throwing down the gaff, Steve dropped down beside Danny, hands quickly on his face when he recognised the panic attack.

"Danny, calm down, man, breathe," he encouraged. "We're okay, we're alright..."

"Fuck! The shark... We, we..." Danny looked up wide eyed, tightly gripping his friend's wrist with his one hand. "Steve, the shark... It ate the fucking dinghy! We could've been _man-sushi_!"

"Calm down, Danno," Steve tried again, concerned that if he didn't the desperate panting and lack of oxygen would cause him to pass out. "Slow your breathing, babe."

"Slow... my breathing? Man-sushi! You get that, you... moron?"

"I get it, but we're alright. Danny, I get it," Steve insisted. "Now calm down. We're safe now."

Chuckling mirthlessly, Danny slowed his panting. "Safe? Safe? We're still stranded, Steven!"

"Yeah, but the good news is; we're stranded on a nicer boat," Steve said hoping it would provoke a snappy come back and take Danny's mind off the whole man-sushi induced panic attack.

"That is true. With a dead guy and no radio, but it is a nicer boat!"

It worked. Steve raised an eye brow. "This is my fault, too? Huh?"

Slumping back, his breathing now calmer, if not still laboured, Danny shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Relieved that the episode was over and Danny seemed okay for the time being, Steve pulled a face and mimicked back moodily, "You're saying..." He grabbed a blanket and carefully pushed it behind Danny's back, handing him another uncapped bottle of water. "Drink that while I see if I can fix the engines, okay? And stay awake!"

"Yes, mom," Danny muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Longer chapter today :o) Thanks again for all your reviews! It's good knowing you're all enjoying this! Bryce x**

Charlie Fong stood up in his forensic crime lab when Kono and Catherine walked in. The concerned expression on the two women's faces was identical, and the criminologist sighed knowing that the news he had on the DNA results of the blood found on the _Aigle De Mer_ was not going to be what they wanted to hear.

The news even shocked him to the core.

"Charlie?" Kono prompted.

"The lab results on the bloody shirt you found on the boat... It doesn't belong to either McGarrett or Danny..."

Dual sighs of relief sounded in the busy lab, only to be short lived-

"But, the blood on the boat _does_ belong to Danny."

"Oh God," Kono breathed, her hand flying up to her mouth. She blinked. "But we checked all the hospitals, medical centres... "

Cat frowned. "Did you run the blood on the shirt through CODIS?"

"I did, no hits," Charlie answered.

"What about fingerprints on the boat?" Kono asked.

"Yes, we got a latent print off the boat's boarding ladder. Came back to a guy named Gil Scates."

"Thanks, Charlie," Kono nodded reaching for her cell.

"Let me know when you find them?" Charlie said worriedly. The amount of blood on the boat that belonged to Detective Williams was frightening. He watched as Kono nod again, cell to her ear, before she and the Lieutenant hurriedly left.

"Chin, that blood on the boat? It's Danny's."

_Five-O HQ_

"Does Gil Scates have a record?" Kono asked Chin as they stood around the smart table.

"Nope. Gil Scates worked with Safehouse Security as a security guard," Chin replied. "So I contacted the company and I found out that he was recently terminated for improper conduct."

Kono touched the screen, twisted the image of Scates around and stared at it. This was the man that had probably hurt Danny.

"Hey, we'll find them, cuz, they'll be alright," Chin said softly. She looked up and bit her lip, glanced at Catherine before nodding.

They'd find them and they would be alright. They had to be.

**H-5-0**

Making sure that Danny didn't fall asleep on him, Steve kept him busy with small tasks and a constant drone of chatting.

"...so then Kono challenges Chin at Halo on the Xbox!" Steve chuckled tugging at something in the engine.

"I bet Kono blew him outta the water."

"New high score. Chin's still demanding a rematch."

"That's funny... I'd like to see that," Danny nodded and sighed, blinking slowly.

Steve smiled, leaned over and handed him a piece of tubing. "Do me a favour, hold that."

"Lemme ask you a question," Danny said looking at the dirty tube in his hand.

"What?"

"Can you actually fix this, or is this, uh, more busy work, like bailing?"

Shit. He forgot Danny could read him that well. "What did I say to you? I'm... I'm doing my best. I gotta figure out why both of the water intake lines have failed, causing the engines to overheat. I... I, I don't understand."

Looking around, Danny shrugged, "Expensive boat."

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "It's got all the bells and whistles, but sometimes these new propulsion engines—they can be tricky, y'know?" He blew out a breath knowing that fixing the boat might actually be beyond his capabilities. "Did you, uh, take a look at the guy's wallet I gave you?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded and touched the leather item by his side. "His name is Al Burgess. Boat registration is in his name, too."

Hopping up, Steve grabbed a water bottle and sat by Danny, urging the man to take some more of his own. "Alright. I don't think we're dealing with a master criminal here," he mused thoughtfully. "I got two slugs lodged in the wall..."

"The shooting was sloppy," Danny stated.

"You think it was self defence then?" asked Steve, always curious to how Danny came to his conclusions. He was _very_ good at what he did.

"Maybe. I'm thinking, uh, he gets cold feet, he starts to shoot impulsively. Then he realises he actually has to finish the job," he said, his hand moving along with his thought process. "Does. Comes out here... tries to get the boat running, panics when it won't start... jumps in the dinghy, doesn't realise how far out he is."

Steve was impressed. It sounded plausible. "Yeah. He runs outta gas. Before he knows it he's in trouble."

"Yeah, then he sees us, says _'bing, perfect, I'm saved. All I gotta do is take these guys' boat.'_"

Steve decided that when he got his hands on the bastard that had taken their boat and shot Danny, he was going to kill him, slowly. He frowned hard thinking of the day's events and took another drink.

"Hey, what time is it?" Danny asked, rubbing his hand over his mouth.

Looking at his watch, Steve's brows rose. It was only early evening; it felt like a lot later than that. "Nearly eighteen hundred."

"Six o-clock, Steven, for those of us _not_ of the army persuasion." He grinned when Steve opened his mouth to correct him.

"Shut up," Steve rolled his eyes. Glancing up at the sky he could tell that night was fast approaching. Give it another hour and the sun would be gone in a blaze of red and gold – a beautiful display that any other time Steve would love to sit and enjoy with his best friend. Now though, the prospect of drifting, stranded on a boat with Danny injured and in urgent need of medical care, filled him with stone cold fear.

"Gonna be dark soon," Danny muttered. He looked pointedly at the open engine hatch. "So, Steve. We getting out of here before Hanukkah or what?"

**H-5-0**

Chin kicked the door of Gil Scates's apartment open and stormed in, announcing himself clearly, Kono and Cat following closely behind. The place looked lived in and messy, with dirty plates in the kitchen and an unmade bed, but nobody was home though, apart from a caged parrot.

The team quickly busied themselves searching for clues as to what Scates was doing out on the ocean, and learned that the man had been researching luxury yachts and one type of thirty eight foot craft in particular. But after sifting through the piles of letters and utility bill notices on the table, they realised that he was actually months behind on his rent, and had money issues, so there was no way that he could afford to buy such an expensive boat.

That told the Five-0 team Scates had planned to steal one, and taking the fishing boat must have meant that McGarrett and Danny had interrupted Scates's plans because the _Aigle De Mer_ was obviously a step down from a luxury yacht.

What the hell had happened out there on the ocean?

**H-5-0**

Placing his palm against his friend's face, Steve sighed at the unnatural heat he registered. It had been forty minutes since Danny had lost his battle to stay awake, passing out cold, and no amount of cajoling had roused him. Steve had occupied himself making the man more comfortable and trying to cool the burning skin, whilst keeping an eye on Danny's shallow breathing and fast pulse. It was all he could do. The engines were seized beyond repair, the radio busted... he was helpless to do anything to get them home. There was nothing on the boat that he could use. At all. No tools, no emergency kit, not even life jackets or flares. Al Burgess kept a poorly stocked yacht. It really frustrated Steve that after all his training, all his experience as a Navy SEAL, it was a luxury yacht that had apparently proved to be his Achilles heel. Life certainly threw some strange curve balls, and this was a doozy. His one regret was that he'd damned his friend with his failure, too.

He soaked the cloth he'd been using to wipe Danny down with water again and pressed it to the man's neck and chest, mindful of the tender sunburn. His own skin stung and prickled irritably, but he pushed the discomfort aside and concentrated on his partner, (_something_ his SEAL training was good for, he thought sullenly). The sun was setting now, casting golden shadows across the deck, and Steve could already feel the air temperature dropping, which he grimly thought was a good thing because at least it would help him keep Danny's fever under control.

Danny had done well to stay awake for as long as he did, since taking the bullet to his shoulder early that afternoon. Steve had to admit that he'd been frantic with worry when towing the dinghy, and not just because of the possibility (which turned into a reality) of a shark encounter, but also because he'd been scared to leave Danny alone for so long. The relief he felt when Danny had been aware to warn him when the Tiger Shark had appeared had been enormous.

The relief, though, soon turned back into fear as the minutes ticked by and they were no nearer being rescued or finding a way to get home.

Stirring slightly, the injured man in question sucked in a breath when the cool cloth hit his chest again, moaning softly as he shivered.

"Danny?"

Sluggishly raising his hand, Danny tried to bat whatever was on his chest away, ineffectually flapping weakly at Steve's wrist. He rolled his head to one side and blinked, trying to focus on the blurred, swirling images above of him, and gasped when Steve's face suddenly became clear, and appeared mere inches from his own.

"Shit," he hissed, jerking back a fraction. "Have we... not t-talked about... personal space before, Steven?"

Not able to stop the grin forming, Steve found himself nodding, but he didn't lean back. He was absurdly happy to just hear his friend complain again. "Yes, we have, Danny."

"Then, would you mind... not invading... mine, you goof?" Danny asked pointedly, his tone lacking the energy his words commanded. Steve, however, moved back. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling, Danny?"

"Like I was shot," Danny mumbled softly. He awkwardly tried to get his right arm under his body to sit back up, but his body just felt heavy and uncooperative. "Help me up."

Steve frowned and instantly tried to reason, "Ah, really think you should lay still, y'know, having been shot." He was worried the wound would reopen and start bleeding again.

"Yeah, maybe... but I wanna... sit up. Now, either help me or... move," Danny huffed trying once more to push himself up.

"You know, you're one stubborn bastard," Steve muttered with a scowl, but he looped his arm around Danny's back and carefully sat him up against the side of the boat, steadying him when he closed his eyes and started listing slightly to one side. "Seriously, Danny, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Says you," Danny argued, although for a moment he wondered if Steve did have a point when his head swam at the movement. But his butt was numb and his impromptu nap had replenished a little of his energy, and he wanted to sit up, damn it! He blew out a shaky breath as the dizzy spell that nearly overwhelmed him tapered off, and opened his eyes, squinting up at Steve. "What's with the, uh, face?"

Steve scrubbed a hand through his hair and looked up to the heavens.

"What? Am I dying or something?"

Snapping his head back so fast Danny feared a whiplash, Steve shook his head shocked. "What? No! No, you're not _dying_!"

"Then what?" Danny asked again, a little nervous at the self-flagellation thing Steve apparently had going on. He'd never seen the big, badass SEAL looking so defeated, and it scared him.

Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, Steve bit hard at his lip and admitted, "I can't get us home, Danny. Put me in the middle of a war zone with bullets flying and enemies trying to kill me from all sides, and I'll get out without a scratch!" He screwed up his face. "But this... I'm sorry, man. I should be able to fix the fucking boat, but I... I can't, Danny, I can't."

"Hey, hey... It's not your fault, babe. It's that motherfucker who took our boat's fault." Danny, hand on his shoulder, carefully leaned forward and caught Steve's eyes with his own. "You listening to me? It's not your fault, Steve. You're a Navy SEAL, not a boat mechanic. I mean, did they teach you to strip down luxury yacht engines and put them back together? Huh? _Fucked Up Propulsion Engines 101_, maybe?"

"Well, SEALs-"

"I'm not talking about emergency repairs in a combat situation on a super stealth SEAL gunboat here. I'm talking about expensive, tricky, seized propulsion engine issues," Danny interrupted. He knew Steve was pretty good with his hands and engines (the Marquis in his garage at home proved that), but regardless of what the Super SEAL thought, he wasn't _Superman_.

The words, bitter and harsh with his failure as they were, sank in as Steve saw the truth in them. Yes, he knew his way around a nautical motor, but propulsion engines were another level of skill he had yet to master, and it was now on his list!

"Alright, babe?" Danny said quietly seeing the toll the day had had on his friend in the shattered weary slump of his body. He reached out his hand and wrapped cool fingers around Steve's wrist. "We'll make it. Think about it," he prompted, "Nice, expensive boat like this, dead man in the cabin... someone's bound to notice something's amiss at some point, right?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Steve blinked at his partner. Once again the man had shown exactly why he was a _damned_ fine detective... and a very good friend. He covered Danny's hand on his wrist and squeezed gently, a small smile smoothing some of the exhausted lines away.

And as if by some miracle, magically conjured up with those optimistic words, the distant sounds of an engine drifted towards them on the wind. Steve's eyes widened and he looked out to sea, scrambling to his feet when his keen gaze picked out the lights of a boat fast approaching them.

"Yes!" he shouted, waving his arms. "Hey, over here! It's the coastguard, Danny!"

"About time," Danny grinned, the heavy feeling of hopelessness finally lifting leaving him almost giddy with relief. He watched Steve from his spot on the deck and rolled his eyes at the SEAL practically dancing from foot to foot. He envied his energy, to be honest!

"Hey!" Steve shouted again, turning to his friend, huge relieved grin on his tanned face.

"What did I tell you? Trust me!" Danny smiled back.

"Prepare to be boarded, stand down."

The order sounded clear and precise, and was wholeheartedly welcomed.

"Okay," Danny answered as they were boarded by the coastguards, grinning along with Steve who'd moved to the side to give them room.

"My partner is injured, he needs medical attention," Steve said quickly, starting to head towards Danny. A gun aimed at him immediately stopped his movement.

"Interlace your fingers and put your hands behind your head," the armed coastguard instructed him.

"Oh no, we're, uh, Five-O," he told them calmly watching one man disappear into the cabin. Danny nodded in agreement.

"We're cops."

"Show me your badges." Oh, now that actually posed as a problem and both Danny and Steve exchanged a quick resigned look.

"We don't have our badges with us," the SEAL explained. The coastguard chose to err on the side of caution and continued to point his weapon at Steve and Danny.

"Yeah, get your hands behind your head now."

Danny made a show of pointing out that he was one armed right then and lifted his right arm to his head. "Okay."

Steve raised both his. "Okay, alright."

"We've gotta dead body below deck, sir," the man from the cabin appeared and reported grimly. Wide, alert eyes stared hard at two men with their hands up.

"I can explain that," Steve said futilely.

Expecting such a comment, the coastguard ignored it. "You're under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used in against you in a court of law..."

"We know," Steve winced as his hands were dragged down and cuffed behind him.

"Okay," Danny nodded and held up his right arm for the cuffs being brought for him.

"We know our rights," the partners finished together.

"Hey, careful, man," Danny yelped as his wrists were bound in front of him, the sharp movement aggravating his shoulder. Steve's head instantly snapped around and he scowled hard when he saw Danny being unceremoniously pulled to his feet.

"Hey, he's injured, watch what you're doing!"

"S'okay, Steve... jus' let's go home, a'right?" Danny muttered tightly, his jaw grinding in reaction to the renewed pain. He stumbled, leaning heavily against the man helping him onto the rescue launch, (which wasn't easy with the tandem rocking the boats were doing on the waves!), and ignored the worried looks Steve was throwing him until he was deposited on a thin bench, that could've been a bed, it was hard to tell with his vision suddenly acting like one of Gracie's psychedelic kaleidoscopes.

"Hey, Danny, you okay?" Steve asked, his tone laced heavily with concern. "C'mon, partner, open your eyes here..."

"Can you tell me your name?"

Danny blinked his eyes open, startled at the strange voice, and unfamiliar face suddenly very near to him. "Ow, fuck!"

"Jesus, take it easy, will ya?" Steve shouted at the medical officer prodding not-so-gently at Danny's injured shoulder. He took a mental note of the man's name badge, 'Kayl Pula ', because he was going to be _very sorry_ for causing Danny more unnecessary pain.

"This looks like a gunshot wound, a through and through," Pula helpfully supplied. He looked down at Danny. "Were you shot?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny hissed through grated teeth, "You're filling me with all sorts of confidence in your medical knowhow. What do you think, huh? Yes, I was shot!"

"Well, it looks infected, and you're dehydrated. Your injury looks stable, so to avoid possible complications, I'm going to leave it until we dock." He turned to Steve who was seething in the corner of the room, guarded by two men. "You cleaned the wound?"

"Yes, I did, now would you stop fucking around and _help_ my partner?" Steve growled.

"Steve. Not. Helping," Danny yelped again when the medical officer abruptly slapped a cold alcohol wipe across the back of his hand. He pulled his arm away as far as the cuffs would let him and glared up at Pula, who annoyingly just glared back at him.

"I need to get an IV situated, so I can push fluids, painkillers and antibiotics into you," he explained with a barely forced patience.

Danny narrowed his eyes and glared harder. "Yes, I understand that, but your bedside manner leaves much to be desired."

"I apologise, but you-"

"I am Five-O... Detective Danny Williams. That's my partner, Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, who incidentally, is a Navy SEAL and probably knows seventeen ways to kill a man with a _spork_-"

"Eighteen, actually," Steve stated darkly.

"Sorry, _eighteen_ ways, and pissing him off isn't a good idea. Now, set up your IV, but _please_ do it gently. I'm human, I feel pain. Okay?" Danny finished wearily. Pula looked at Steve, who flashed him an intimidating snarl, and quickly, _carefully_ placed the IV into the back of Danny's hand.

"Thank you," Danny breathed, wincing at the sting of antibiotics being introduced into his veins. The medical officer disappeared after a moment and left them alone with their silent chaperones. Steve moved into Pula's place and sat by Danny's bed.

"You doing okay, buddy?"

"Hmmm," Danny sighed, the strong painkillers beginning to have a welcomed effect. He tipped his head to one side and looked at the two men watching them closely, rolling his eyes. "This is awesome. What else wrong do you think could happen?" he asked Steve. "Maybe if we're lucky, they'll have a trial at sea, and they'll make us walk the plank."

"Just relax," Steve urged, hearing the slurred quality of Danny's voice; the man sounded stoned.

"Hey, there aint' gonna be too many more relaxes, okay?" Of course, like a red rag to a bull. Steve just sighed.

"Look at it like this: you're gonna have a great story to tell Grace one day." Because Steve was sure Grace would find this whole stupid adventure hilarious; apart from the whole shooting thing, that is.

Danny frowned in thought for a moment before answering, "And the moral of that story is this: never go deep sea fishing... with a Navy SEAL. No, no, scratch that... Never go fishing with you." He chuckled to himself, amused at his own words and the feigned hurt look on Steve's face.

"Should've used you for bait," Steve bitched back fondly.

The door to the room opened and the captain walked in, immediately reaching to uncuff his guests. "Sorry for the misunderstanding Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, a member of your team verified your credentials."

Blinking slowly, Danny rubbed his now freed hand over his face. "Well, next time I get forced into the ocean at gunpoint, I'll be sure to have my credentials," he mumbled before his eyes closed and he gave into the strong medication.

Steve made sure his partner was alright and then turned to the captain, the commander in him now in full control. "Captain, the yacht—was it reported stolen?"

"Missing. The owners wife called, worried, when her husband hadn't returned."

"Huh, maybe it had something to do with him being shot," Steve muttered tersely.

"Again, I apologise. There's been a rash of boat-jacking's lately. We suspect Tongan pirates, so as soon as we got the call about the boat, we just figured they were behind it," the captain explained.

"Ah, this guy was working alone." It wasn't Tongan pirates.

"Soon as we return to port, we're going to hand this investigation over to your team, okay?"

"I appreciate it," Steve said and shook the captain's hand. "Thanks."

The captain and the two crewmen left Steve alone to sit with Danny, who was at last, resting peacefully. He drank down the rest of the water he'd been given and scrubbed fingers roughly through his hair as the day washed over him, from the excitement of reeling in that tuna to shock of Danny being shot, the shark encounter... the despair of not being able to fix the situation and get Danny home sooner... It all snowballed into a headache of menacing proportions and Steve rubbed hard at his temples trying to get it under control.

"Are you alright, Commander?" Pula asked quietly as he entered the room to check on his patient.

"Yeah, just a headache."

"You're still a little dehydrated, sir, maybe an IV-"

"No," Steve declined. "Just find me some Tylenol and I'll drink more water." An IV might result in a forced hospital stay, and Steve had an investigation to conduct. Pula handed him the pills and two more bottles of water, watching him as he swallowed them. Steve nodded his thanks. "How is he?"

"Detective Williams is doing surprisingly well," the medical officer replied taking Danny's wrist and silently counting his heart beats. "His stats are steady, pulse is stronger; he seems to be reacting well to the antibiotic treatment." The man stuck a tympanic thermometer in Danny's ear and smiled when it beeped. "Temperature is down, too. One oh one point two."

Relief spread through Steve at that news and he nodded his thanks to the medic.

"We'll be at the South Shore in thirty minutes. I have an ambulance waiting for you both once we're docked. The captain has also informed your team, sir, and they'll be there, too."

"Thank you," Steve said and sat back to let the Tylenol work, finishing off the water. "You hear that, Danno? We're nearly home."

**H-5-0**


	6. Chapter 6

As promised, Steve could see the ambulance's flashing lights as the coastguard's launch slowed its approach to the South Shore, the _Katie_ in tow. He sipped at the ever present bottle of water in his hand and squinted to try and make out the rest of his team in the failing light of the evening, smiling when he spotted Cat and Chin waiting on the dock side.

"The EMT's are ready to board as soon as we dock, captain," a man said somewhere behind Steve, and he looked further along the quay until he saw three uniformed men standing with a gurney and equipment.

Danny was still sleeping, the coastguard medical officer, Pula, with him, and Steve was relieved that his partner was minutes away from hospital treatment, glad that their disastrous fishing trip was over. Now, they had a case to solve and a murderer to catch.

Following closely behind the EMT's as they boarded and headed for Danny, Steve explained what had happened to the detective, "Nine millimetre, single gunshot wound to the upper left shoulder, bullet went through. That was just after midday, and then the coastguard administered medical aid around nineteen hundred hours."

"He means seven o'clock."

"Danny!" Steve grinned, pleased to see his partner awake and looking a lot better than he had before. "How you doing? You okay, brah? You're looking better."

"Feeling better, too," Danny smiled loosely, eyes slowly tracking up to the IV fluids, "Must be the good stuff, huh."

"Rapid infusion of twenty millilitres per kilogram isotonic IV solution, broad spectrum antibiotic..." Pula added the pertinent medical information as Danny was checked over and carefully lifted onto the gurney. "And 2mg of hydromorphone administered an hour ago."

"Thanks. Okay, Detective, we're just going to strap you in. You comfy?" one of the EMT's asked with a smile. Danny grunted as a blanket was placed over him and the gurney belt was tightened and secured over his hips.

"Oh yeah. You tucked me in well there," he nodded. "Feel like a burrito. Can't move a muscle."

"Safety first. Hold that and hang on," the EMT winked handing him his IV bag. "Just going to give you a little oxygen for the ride, okay?" he said suddenly appearing with a nasal cannula, which he hooked under Danny's nose and around his ears. Danny frowned at him, clearly irked with the tubes poking him up his nose, but the EMT just smiled and turned to his colleague, "Okay, Amosa, I think the good Detective is ready now!"

"You hang in there, Danno, I'm right behind you, okay?" Steve told him. Danny smiled up at his friend, that one look conveying a lot more than words could say. A moment later, they were on the move.

Heading along the quayside towards the ambulance, Steve walked beside the gurney, quietly talking with Danny and bringing him up to speed on the case so far. They slowed as they approached the vehicle, both men looking up when Cat and Chin approached meeting them halfway.

"Steve, I was so worried," Cat said as she wrapped her arms around Steve's body.

"Hey, I'm fine," Danny said over his shoulder, his fingers fiddling with the annoying tube up his nose as he was wheeled past them, to which both Cat and Steve turned and blinked at him. Steve raised an eye brow. _Seriously!?_

"God, Danny," Cat sighed in relief and gave him a careful hug when the gurney stopped by the back of the open ambulance. Danny wrapped his free arm around her and hung on, smirking when Steve's expression changed into something akin to possessive.

"We were fine," the SEAL said when Danny let go. He stopped the man from pulling the cannula off his face and added, "We were lucky to find that boat, but we were fine."

Chin, smiling widely, moved to one side to let the EMT's make sure their patient was comfortable and alright for travel. He patted Danny on his good shoulder, his amused eyes checking out the wavy blonde hair, but quickly looked away when Steve shrewdly indicated that mentioning it would be very bad. Hiding a smirk, Chin decided to secretly tell Kono later anyway, but right now he was glad his team mates were alive and would be alright, and listened to his friends bicker like normal.

Hearing Steve's very loose rendition of the day's events, Danny waved his hand incredulously as soon as his wrist was released from having his pulse taken. "We were not fine, okay? Tell her about the sharks. Tell him about the sharks!"

Chin blinked at Cat. "Sharks?" she asked.

"Shark. _A_ shark!" Steve stated as if it wasn't a big deal. In fact he said so. "There was one shark, and it wasn't a big deal!"

Voice rising, fingers back fiddling with the irritating tube, Danny glared at his partner. "Of course it was a big deal! What are you talking about? It was a big deal, trust me! The thing _ate_ the dinghy!"

"We're back on dry land, we're safe and sound," Steve reasoned matter-of-factly as he once more caught his partner's hand and held it away from the oxygen cannula. Danny's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Chin stepped in then and said, sounding like a father reprimanding two naughty kids, "You know, you two need to spend some time apart."

Snatching his hand back, Danny nodded with a curt, "I agree."

Doctor Max Bergman, Five-O's Chief Medical Examiner, then limped towards them with his cane, halting any further exchange between the small group.

"Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, good to have you two back," he nodded, frowning slightly at Danny's condition when he saw the EMT carefully check the injury.

"It's good to be back... on dry land," Danny answered quickly, glancing up at Steve purposely.

"Are you alright? I was informed that you had been shot in the upper left shoulder," Max asked worriedly, looking at the stained bandage.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Max," Danny smiled convincingly. Max stared for a second as though judging for himself. His assessment of the detective's condition seemed to assuage his fears and he smiled, and held up a tube of lotion.

"Unguent?"

Danny blinked confused. "Excuse me?" He looked up at Steve, who just shook his head and shrugged equally as baffled. Chin and Cat hid identical smirks.

"It's cream for your sunburn," Max explained. "It contains aloe. As you know aloe is naturally soothing to the irritated skin and sunburn. If you need assistance applying it to your affected areas then I'm more than happy to..."

"No, no I... thank you, I'm good," Danny declined taking the tube and ignoring the comical smile on the EMT's face.

"I'm very gentle," Max continued.

"I bet."

"Oh. Apply liberally."

Watching the verbal ping-pong match finally finish, Steve shook his head and got back to the matter at hand.

"Alright. Ah, the victim is below deck, aft cabin, okay?" he told Max. "We preserved the crime scene."

Max nodded and motioned his crew towards the yacht moored behind the coastguard boat and followed them.

"You said you got something on the suspect?" Steve asked Chin, glaring at Danny when he absently tweaked the cannula. Danny rolled his eyes and lowered his hand.

Chin stepped in and held up his cell showing Danny and Steve an image of the boat-jacker. "Guy's name is Gil Scates. We managed to pull his print off the boat."

"That's him. That's our boat-jacker," Danny announced loudly and with a hint of menace.

"He's an unemployed security guard," Chin continued. "When we searched his apartment we found operators manuals for a yacht. We think he might've been planning to steal Al Burgess's boat."

"Yeah, well, he botched that too," Danny muttered, wincing when he pressed his hand against his shoulder.

"Would you like something for the pain, Detective?" the EMT asked noticing the flinch of pain. Danny shook his head.

"Okay, we find any connection between Al Burgess and Gil Scates?" Steve asked Chin, his eyes on Danny though.

"I got Kono asking Al's wife that very question."

"Well, we're about to take Detective Williams and Commander McGarrett to the hospital now, so... if you'll excuse us, guys," the EMT stated, halting Danny's hand when it, again, moved back up to his nose. "Leave it in place, Detective."

Steve frowned, "Wait, what? Why do I need to go? I don't need to go to the hospital!" He had a case to solve, a murderer to find.

"Kayl Pula, the coastguard MO, reported that you, too, were suffering from dehydration and severe headaches. You've had a rough day, Commander, better to get you checked out," the EMT explained.

"Headaches? Steve, come on, you're going to the hospital with me," Danny said, scratching at the tubing around his ear. It dislodged and he pulled it off.

"Danny, would you leave that alone, huh?" Steve rolled his eyes and stuck the cannula back under his nose and looped it around his ears. "And no, I'm not going with you. I'm fine." He turned to the EMT, "If I start feeling bad I promise I'll check into the ER myself, alright?"

"It's against my better judgement, but make sure you have someone with you to watch for any signs of discomfort, nausea, etcetera," the man nodded helping another EMT load Danny into the ambulance.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him," Chin stated. Steve started to complain that he didn't need a babysitter, but immediately closed his mouth at the stern look the older detective had on his face, and signed the Refusal of Medical Treatment form in silence.

"Steve-" Danny called from the ambulance, concern clear in his blue eyes. Steve hopped inside leaving Chin and Cat waiting at the open doors.

"Gimme a minute," he murmured to the EMT's, and then turned to his partner, hand covering his when it unconsciously drifted up to the cannula once more. "I'll be by the hospital later, Danno."

"Steve, you're exhausted. You nearly got turned into man-sushi today," Danny said softly, "We were boat-jacked, _at gunpoint_... Please, at least get an all clear, babe."

"I'm fine," Steve reassured him. "Pula gave me enough water to sink a battleship, and I feel okay." He looked into Danny's eyes, promising, "I'm gonna find him, I'm gonna find Scates."

"I know," Danny nodded. Studying his partner's face, he saw the determination and ever-present focussed energy that drove the SEAL in every mission he committed to. He trusted that and relaxed slightly, a small accepting smile on his lips.

Seeing Danny believe that he was okay, Steve squeezed his hand gently, murmuring softly, "You want me to contact Rachel and Grace?"

"No," Danny shook his head. He didn't want to scare Grace, and he didn't want to ruin her weekend with her mom. "No, they're on the Big Island. No point in them cutting their trip short, nothing really for them to be here for, and I'm fine... will be fine in a day or so. Don't wanna worry them."

Steve didn't quite agree with that, but he accepted Danny's decision and nodded. The EMT cleared his throat and Steve got the message. Smiling at his partner, he jumped out of the rig. "Later, Danno, be good, and stop fiddling with that oxygen tube!"

"Shut up," Danny scowled, dropping his hand to his lap anyway. The doors then closed and he was gone.

Watching the ambulance drive away, lights flashing only, made Steve feel oddly bereft and he blew out a slow, shaky breath. After the day they'd had, and knowing how close he'd come to losing his partner, it just seemed wrong somehow to just let him go. But he knew Danny was in good hands, and no doubt trying to negotiate his early release from the hospital even now, before he got there. He looked around when Cat tugged at his arm, nodding when she urged him towards Chin's car.

**H-5-0**

Kono parked her Chevrolet close to the front door of Katie Burgess's house, clicking off her cell after giving Charlie Fong the news that they'd found Steve and Danny and they were both alive and relatively okay. She switched the engine off and sat in silence for a moment, focussing her thoughts. She was worried for her friend, Danny, but trusted Steve when he'd told her that the detective was fine and in good hands. She believed him, but wouldn't truly relax until she'd seen Danny with her own eyes. In the meantime, she had a job to do. It was late and dark, but the property had a good range of outdoor lights that lit up the drive as she approached the door. Kono knocked twice and waited.

"Katie Burgess? I'm Officer Kono Kalakuaua," she introduced herself when the door opened. Katie Burgess nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Kono noticed another woman behind her. "May we speak alone, Mrs Burgess?"

"It's okay, this is Jenny, Al's sister," Katie said opening the door wider for the officer. "I asked her to be here when I heard."

Nodding and walking into the house, Kono sat down and expressed her sympathies for the loss of her husband, before asking her questions. She learned that Katie had become worried and notified the coastguard after she'd tried to contact her husband and he'd not answered her calls. Apparently, Al Burgess had wanted to sell his yacht, which prompted Jenny to inform Kono that her brother didn't even know how to swim, openly accusing Katie of wanting the yacht when Al didn't. Kono detected an air of ill feeling between the two women, and mentally filed it away, putting it down to grief for the moment.

Katie then told Kono that Al had had a potential buyer, although she didn't know the name. After showing her a picture of Gil Scates, she recognised him as the security guard for the neighbourhood, and was shocked that he was the man suspected of murdering her husband, telling Kono that Al Burgess had called the security company and had Gil fired after she'd told him that the man had made inappropriate advances towards her, and that she'd caught him peeking in her windows.

Kono frowned in thought. "Why would your husband take him out on the boat after getting him fired?"

"I don't know," Katie sighed, dabbing at her eyes again.

"Did your husband know what Gil looked like?"

"Not that I know of. Al was away on business when all this happened. He only knew his name," Katie explained. "Do you think that Gil did this to get back at us?"

"That's what we're gonna find out," Kono promised sincerely.

Returning back to Five-O headquarters when she'd finished her interview with Katie Burgess, Kono wasn't surprised to still see Chin in his office on the telephone, and Steve standing at the smart table drinking coffee and going over the new information she'd filled them in with while she'd driven back.

She checked her watch and sighed; it was going to be another long night. "Hey Steve, how's Danny?"

Steve turned and nodded a quick hello. "He's, ah, he's okay. Just called for an update twenty minutes ago... he's already driving the staff at Queens Medical mad by the sounds of it."

"Sounds like our Danny," Kono snickered. "Lemme guess, he doesn't want to be their guest for the night?"

"Yeah," Steve answered softly lowering his eyes. He still felt guilty as hell that as a result of his actions, Danny had got hurt. Kono saw the flash of remorse before Steve carefully hid it.

"You know it's not your fault, don't you?" she said quietly. "There's only one person to blame for Danny being in the hospital here; Gil Scates."

Vigorously scrubbing his hands over his hair, Steve sighed heavily and nodded. Danny had already tried to tell him it wasn't his fault, and he knew Kono had a point too, but his best friend was still hurt because of him regardless. Kono just shook her head, at least Danny would drill it into his guilt-thick skull until Steve believed it, later. She patted his arm and moved away to get a caffeine fix as Chin emerged from his office.

"So, I just reached out to Safe House Securities and found out that the Burgesses filed three complaints over the last two months, all against Gil Scates," he reported as Kono, large coffee in her grip, walked back over. "Those charges actually got him dismissed. His supervisor says he was pretty hot about the termination."

"Okay, maybe Scates wasn't trying to steal the boat and the wife was right. Maybe Gil was trying to get back at Al for having him fired," Steve said, rubbing his fingers over his mouth in thought.

"Katie Burgess said her husband didn't know what Scates looked like, so yeah that's possible," Kono added.

Steve leaned forward on the table, his mind working one possible idea, "Okay, so Al Burgess places an ad for the boat in the 'Advertiser'..."

"Right, and Gil comes in, calls, and posing as a potential buyer, takes him out to the ocean and puts a bullet in him," Chin continued. Kono nodded, agreeing.

"Right, he probably would've taken the boat, but the boat's not working," Steve tagged on looking up, his hand pointing to an image of the _Katie_ on one of the computer screens.

"Despite everything, he still manages to get away with it," Chin frowned, but Kono shook her head and Steve's eyes widened when it all fell into place.

"Oh... No, no, wait a minute—So he thinks," Steve corrects. "Scates doesn't know that Danny and I are alive and found that crime scene."

Chin looked at both Steve and Kono, "If Gil believes he got away with murder, he's gonna try and blend back in like nothing ever happened."

"And that's how we're gonna get him," Steve nodded. "Chin, coordinate with HPD and get a twenty four hour surveillance set up on Scates' apartment, and get a BOLO on him, too."

Nodding, the detective disappeared into his office again, returning minutes later reporting that everything had been set up.

Kono looked at the computer image of Gil Scates again, knowing his freedom was limited, and smirked. She hid a yawn into her coffee, blinking when Chin took the mug away.

"Hey-"

"We'll start again early, guys," Steve said checking his watch. It was past twenty three hundred hours and his team was beat, although he had no intention of going home himself, he wanted to get over to the hospital and see Danny. "Time to go home, get some rest. Chin, you and Kono relieve HPD and stake out Scates' apartment tomorrow morning; I'll then take the evening shift, if he hasn't shown up yet. I want this man in custody."

"Copy that," Kono muttered with feeling.

"Tell Danny we hope he's feeling better," Chin said as he ushered Kono out of the HQ. Steve nodded with a small smile; his team knew him far too well.

**H-5-0**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you very much for all the great reviews for this fic! Bryce x**

**H-5-0**

Queens Medical Centre was still busy despite the lateness of the hour. Steve parked the Camaro near the ER, grabbed the bag of clothes and toiletries he'd just collected from Danny's apartment, and walked in, ignoring the waiting room half full of patients waiting to be seen. He approached the desk, stopping just short when three hyperactive children raced by him.

"Ma'am, would you please stop your children running about," the duty nurse called out exasperated. "This is a hospital, not a playground!"

The children raced by again, completely oblivious to their mother's pleas. Steve shook his head and reached the desk.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Um, my partner was brought in earlier, Detective Danny Williams," Steve explained. He showed her his own Five-O credentials and she immediately sat up straighter.

"Oh, right, of course, Commander McGarrett. This way," she said and quickly got up, escorting Steve through to the treatment rooms. She introduced him to Danny's doctor, smiled and then left.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Alanna Kopi, Commander McGarrett," she smiled, grabbing Danny's chart.

"How is he?" Steve asked. He glanced about. "Where is he?"

"Detective Williams, as you know, was brought in with a GSW to the left shoulder, and also suffering a resultant infection. We put him in a twilight sedation and successfully cleaned out and stitched the wounds, and he's currently sleeping that off. We have him resting comfortably in a private room if you'd like to come back tomorrow morning," she said starting to explain the patient visiting hour's schedule, but stopped when she saw the look on Steve's face.

"Thank you but I'd like to see him now," he said. It wasn't a question. Doctor Kopi pursed her lips. Five-O, and Commander McGarrett especially, were unfortunately notoriously known for ignoring hospital policy, so she knew this was one argument she was going to lose.

Instead the doctor nodded and carried on, "There were contributing factors to the severity of Detective Williams' initial condition... blood loss, dehydration, shock, heat exhaustion, but considering all those, Danny has responded to the treatment extremely well, and if he continues to improve I'll be happy to discharge him in forty eight hours," Doctor Kopi smiled. She took Steve to the elevators and pressed the button.

"Does he know that?" Steve smirked, knowing two days stuck in a hospital would be hell for Danny.

"Ah, unfortunately he does," the doctor winced. "He was very vocal about it."

"I bet."

The elevator arrived and Steve and Doctor Kopi stepped inside. She thumbed the second floor and the doors closed.

"You know he'll probably sign himself out AMA," Steve said knowing that with Scates still at large, there was no way Danny was going to stay in a hospital bed if he could help it. Even Steve wouldn't be able to stop him. He watched as the doctor sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I am well aware of Five-O's reputation when it comes to medical advice." She looked at Steve. "I would prefer Detective Williams to stay for the full forty eight hours, but if he's insistent on leaving before then, I must press that rest is vital to his recovery."

"He'll be with me," Steve reassured her. If he couldn't stop Danny, then he'd damn well make sure the man didn't do anything stupid. "I'll make sure he takes it easy."

She saw the truth of Steve's words in his open expression, and knew her patient was in good hands. The elevator pinged and the doors opened; Danny's room was the first one on their right.

Steve pushed the door open and let Doctor Kopi enter first. The lights were low, and Danny was sleeping propped up with pillows, snoring very softly, and despite the residual flush of a slight fever, he looked peaceful. His shoulder had a new bandage on it, the neat wrapping covering his upper chest, and his left arm had been immobilised with a sling. The nasal cannula had gone, but the IV was still in situ, and the pale greyness of his skin had disappeared to leave the blush of sunburn instead.

Doctor Kopi gently took a hold of Danny's wrist and silently took his pulse. The touch roused him and he sucked in a sharp breath, closed his mouth and swallowed.

"Sorry, Danny," she smiled when blue eyes finally focussed on her.

"Time izzit?" He winced at the hoarse sound of his voice and tentatively tried to clear his throat.

"Very late," she whispered. "How do you feel? Are you in any pain at all?"

He closed his eyes again when he felt plastic pushed gently into his ear. "No... no pain..."

"Good. You're doing really well, Danny," the doctor reassured him softly, pleased with his stats. She placed the call button in his lax hand. "Press this if you need anything, okay?"

"Hmmm mm..."

Steve watched quietly as Danny seemed to fall asleep again. He'd hoped to be able to talk to him, but he knew Danny needed this healing sleep, and eased himself down onto the uncomfortable chair next to his bed, stowing the bag of Danny's stuff safely under it.

"Commander?"

Taking his eyes off Danny, Steve glanced up to see Doctor Kopi looking quizzically at him. He motioned to his partner, "He's doing well then?"

"Ah, yes, his vitals are good, temperature only slightly elevated now, and I think one more bag of fluids and he can be free of the IV as soon as the antibiotic course is finished," she said, eyeing Steve critically. The SEAL looked exhausted, with shadows under his eyes and dark stubble that just highlighted the paleness of his pallor. "You plan on sitting in that chair all night?"

Steve immediately threw up his stubborn, try-and-stop-me-and-die walls, and adopted his best no-nonsense commander tone, "Detective Williams is-"

"Aht," Doctor Kopi halted him with an abrupt sweep of her hand. "All I was going to suggest was that you take advantage of that empty bed there." Steve had the sense to look a little sheepish and nodded when she smiled at him. "You look like you could do with a decent nap yourself."

"Yeah, thanks, doc," he said and stood up, suddenly feeling double his age.

"I'll be back in two hours to check on Detective Williams. I expect to find you asleep," she stated with a stern look, and then left quietly.

"I'd do as she says, babe."

Steve snapped around at the sleep rough voice and couldn't help the huge grin that literally filled his face.

"You know, if the wind changes, your face will stay like that," Danny smirked gingerly turning so he could see his friend properly.

"Danny! S'good to see you, man," Steve nodded, sitting carefully beside him on the bed. Danny lifted a hand to reach for some water, and Steve immediately passed it to him.

"How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Probably better than you look," Danny frowned. He saw the same picture of exhaustion that the doctor had seen and didn't like it. Putting the glass down, he asked, "Have you been checked out yet?"

"I'm fine," the SEAL quickly answered, adding when Danny's eyes narrowed, "Really. No headaches, no nausea... Chin has been watching me like a hawk, it's been – disconcerting."

And it had. Every time Steve looked up, it was to see either Cat's or Chin's sharp eyes watching him. He'd began to feel paranoid was relieved when Cat finally left to check back in with her CO. But the vigilance hadn't let up until he'd convinced Chin that he was absolutely fine.

"Then why do you look like you've been on a forty-eight hour bender?" Danny asked, his hand pointedly indicating to Steve's posture, strained and tense. "I was shot, and I look better than you do right now!"

Well, Steve had certainly had better days, but in his career as a Navy SEAL he'd definitely had worse, and he could definitely deal with a little exhaustion and sunburn, no problem. Instead of answering, he let his eyes venture up to Danny's blonde hair, still wavy and certainly not the usual slicked back perfection Danny enjoyed, hoping to deflect his friend's scrutiny.

"Are you serious? Really?" Danny protested, pushing his fingers through his dishevelled blonde stands when he realised what Steve was looking at. "I know you can't be _thinking_ what I think you're thinking because, thinking about it, that's just ridiculous, Steven."

Raising one eyebrow, Steve regarded him curiously, "Is this you just throwing words at me again, hoping they'll make some sort of sense – eventually, Danno?"

"Shut up," Danny growled, "And don't call me Danno. Answer my question."

"Which one?" Steve asked with an air of innocence, "Am I serious, or what am I thinking?"

"You know, I really hate you sometimes, you goof," Danny groused, anything further interrupted by a yawn.

"I know you do, and I love you, too. You should rest, Danny," Steve said quietly, patting his partner on the knee and standing up.

"Exactly, you should too, Super SEAL. Bed. There. Sleep," Danny pointed to the empty bed and waited until Steve silently lay down. Facing each other, Danny looked at his friend, saw the weary lines of fatigue around his dark eyes, and well aware that the man had distracted him before, still needed to know, "You sure you're okay?"

"I am now I've seen that you're doing a lot better, Danno," Steve smiled. "Go to sleep."

Muffling another yawn behind his hand, Danny closed his eyes and mumbled something about stubborn Super SEALs and tuny-fish. Steve soon followed him into sleep.

**H-5-0**

Kono looked forlornly at her surf board and sighed. It was just after five AM, and instead of heading to the beach, she was waiting for Chin to arrive on his bike for an exciting morning stakeout. The break of day was her favourite time to go surfing, with the empty beaches devoid of tourists, nice pipelines, long, workable rides she could enjoy without worrying about other surfers dropping in on her waves, and she loved to watch the sunrise from her board. It set her up for the day.

The throaty sound of Chin's Harley-Davidson shook her out of her musing and she grabbed her car keys and went out to meet him.

"Morning, cuz."

"You're looking chipper this morning, Kono," Chin muttered, envious of her youth and energy. Kono just smiled and handed him the keys.

"Easier at the drive through," she winked knowing that would be the first stop for the detective. Coffee. Extra large, extra strong.

By the time they arrived at Gil Scates apartment in downtown Waikiki and relieved the HPD stakeout crew with coffee and malasadas for them, it was bright and sunny, and they watched as people mulled around, starting their day. Kono took advantage of the early morning activities to check to see if Scates was actually at home, sighing when the place still looked exactly the same as it did when they'd been there the day before, but with no sign of their suspect. She only hoped he'd show up soon, and not make her and Chin waste an entire day camped out on his door step.

Nearly six long hours later, she put her cell down and sighed. Even she could only take so much Angry Birds. Talking to Steve earlier had broken up the monotony of the stakeout, but on the whole, Kono really hated this part of the job. She nudged Chin and mumbled something about coffee before climbing out of the car.

Barely ten minutes had gone by when Chin spotted Gil Scates approaching his apartment with a grocery bag. Grabbing his gun, he got out and followed the man, breaking into a run when Gil saw him, dropped his groceries, and made a break for it. Chin chased him to the roof of his apartment complex where they fought, leaving Chin dangling over the side of the building, hanging on for dear life.

Kono returned to an empty car, but as soon as she found the discarded groceries, she knew. Quickly looking around, she saw Chin's Five-O badge on the ground and instinctively looked up, sucking in a breath and yelling out to her cousin to hold on, she was coming!

En route, she crossed paths with Scates and easily subdued him with a couple of well place kicks, finally cuffing him to the rail, before she headed back to the roof to pull Chin to safety.

"Thanks, cuz," Chin panted as he sat on the roof. Kono nodded and handed him back his badge.

"Well, while you were... hanging around," she grinned at her own pun, "I got Scates cuffed to the railing at the bottom."

"You're funny, Kono," Chin grinned back. He got up, "Right, let's get this scumbag back to HQ."

**H-5-0**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, sorry for not posting this yesterday. Thank you again for all the lovely comments! Bryce x**

**H-5-0**

Steve woke to the sounds of hushed voices arguing on the other side of the curtain around his bed. He shook his head slightly. When had they been drawn? Checking his watch, he noted the time approaching eight AM with a small frown, then sat up and tentatively stretched out the stiffness in his body.

"Look, I have a killer to find, and I can't do that lying in bed, can I? I am fine. I have a job to do. Now do yours and go get me the forms. Please!"

Straining to hear the hissed, almost inaudible reply to what he know recognised as Danny's voice, Steve reached out to remove the barrier to see what was going on.

"It's my choice, and I'm doing it," Danny said before turning at the swish of the curtain. "Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty!"

"'Morning, Danny," Steve nodded. He saw his partner's attire and frowned. "Why are you dressed?"

"Detective Williams has decided to sign himself out against medical advice, Commander," the nurse currently glaring at Danny said in a clipped voice.

"And what has this got to do with Commander McGarrett? Huh? I am quite capable of making my own decisions, thank you very much," Danny scowled hard, daring the nurse to contradict him.

Seeing that Danny had had his IV removed, Steve looked at his partner and noted the sheen of sweat and slight fevered flush pinking his cheeks, but the stubborn expression, and the fact that he'd managed to manipulate his painful shoulder into a button down shirt, clearly told him that Danny was determined to sign himself out, no matter what anyone said. Steve had guessed right that his partner was going to do this, and simply decided to bypass the inevitable argument he knew he wouldn't win, cocked his head to the side and stayed quiet.

The silence made Danny look at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "I'm gonna sign myself out AMA, Steven, s'that alright with you?" he asked defiantly.

The nurse pursed her lips and blew out a huff of breath, watching in disbelief as Steve just shrugged and passively nodded his agreement.

Blinking, Danny opened his mouth a couple of times before finally coming up with an eloquent, "Good."

"Nurse-" Steve squinted at her name tag, "Kekoa. If you'd be kind enough to get those AMA papers for Detective Williams to sign, that would be terrific," he smiled widely at her, waiting until she left before disappearing into the room's small washroom.

Danny stared at the closed door. What the hell? Usually Steve had argued until he was blue in his goofy Super SEAL face when Danny had ever suggested signing himself out AMA. He frowned warily and reached for the bag he'd found under the chair, barely suppressing a groan when his stiff and sore shoulder complained loudly. He carefully dragged it closer to his side and rifled through it for a pair of socks, mentally noting to remember to thank Steve for bringing him some clean clothes, even if he did forget his tie... not that he wore them these days.

The washroom door opened and Steve stepped out looking damp and a little more awake. Danny looked up, socks in his hand, instant cagey expression on his face.

"What?" Steve asked. He saw the socks. "You need help with those?"

"Why aren't you arguing about the AMA thing?"

Steve just smiled. He took the socks and slipped them on Danny's bare feet before the man had even noticed.

"Hey, wait, I'm not a child, I can put my own damned socks on," he automatically complained. Blowing out a deep breath, he then demanded, "Now, what gives?"

"Okay," Steve began, serious face in place, "I talked with your doctor last night, and knew you were gonna do this – sign yourself out against her advice. So, Danny, there are conditions, and you will adhere to them, or I'll be dragging your ass right back here myself."

"Conditions?" Danny queried cautiously.

Rubbing a hand over his stubble and scratching his chin, Steve nodded, "No exertion, no over doing it... You have to _take it easy_, Danny," he said emphatically. "Seriously, man, you were in a bad way yesterday."

Danny saw the haunted look in Steve's expressive eyes and knew he was still mentally beating himself up over what had happened. Misplaced as the guilt was, the SEAL carried it on his shoulders. Danny reached up and grabbed his arm, squeezing gently.

"You still think all this is your fault?" Danny asked. Steve hesitated and looked away. "Steve, look at me. Look. At. Me. This is _not... your... fault_. Alright?" He held Steve's gaze, his own expression sincere and open, until Steve sighed and finally nodded. "Seriously, babe," Danny then continued with a small grin, "You gotta stop thinking this is your fault, because I can feel the guilt coming off you in waves, and frankly I've had enough waves to last at least a year. Maybe even more than a year. In fact, I may never go near the waves again! So, guilt trip... Waves... Stop, alright? You're making me seasick, babe!"

Hearing those words from Danny once more, along with the familiar ranting, made Steve smile. It seemed to break something loose, and he felt a weight lift from him. Technically, getting Danny shot was indirectly a result of his actions, but knowing that his best friend and partner was alive and didn't blame him meant Steve could happily devote the foreseeable future to making up for the disastrous fishing trip and coming up with a plan to get Danny back in the ocean, despite what he'd just said. Steve took that as a challenge.

"Come on," Danny grinned when he saw his friend smile. He let go of Steve's arm and cocked his head towards the door, "Let's go see what's taking that nurse so long with those forms, and then blow this place and go get a decent breakfast before they come back and poison me with that gruel they insist is food."

Just as Danny stepped into his loafers, Nurse Kekoa returned with a doctor, a balding man at least three inches shorter than Danny.

"Good morning, Detective Williams," the man smiled holding out his hand in greeting, "I'm Doctor Wallace, Doctor Kopi's intern."

Danny ignored the hand and glared at him, obviously not happy, and the doctor visibly shrunk another inch in height. Steve quickly stepped forward and shook his hand, trying to diffuse the impromptu standoff.

"Commander McGarrett," he introduced himself lightly.

"H-hello, Commander," Wallace mumbled awkwardly and turned to Danny again, fumbling through his notes. "Um, Nurse Kekoa tells-"

"Do you have my AMA forms?" Danny asked interrupting the man, clearly not impressed that he was still there and not out of the hospital yet.

Taking a deep breath, the doctor stood to his full height, and refused to be intimidated. It didn't quite work when Danny pinned him with narrowed eyes that silently promised severe bodily harm very, very soon.

"Detective Williams, you've still got an infection induced fever that is still being treated with IV antibiotics-" he frowned at Danny's hand, adding disapprovingly, "but I see you've removed your IV."

Steve snapped his eyes up at his partner, he wasn't aware Danny had taken out his own IV!

"Yes, because I'm leaving," Danny growled. "Now, do you have my paperwork?"

Wallace bit at his lip and Steve watched amused as the emotions played across the man's face, fear, annoyance, but mostly intimidation. Nurse Kekoa just looked like she wanted to baby the diminutive doctor, maybe even wrap him up and take him home like a helpless puppy.

"You h-have to understand, Doctor Kopi prescribed a course of antibiotics that you must finish, Detective Williams," Wallace explained. "It's important you finish the course."

"Then get me some pills, because I am leaving," Danny countered easily in a voice that brooked no dissent.

Unable to stay quiet, Steve stepped forward and frowned wondering if he was doing the right thing by letting his partner do this. "Danny-"

"Steve," Danny warned. The SEAL, knowing his protest was futile, shut up.

Eventually, just after ten AM, Nurse Kekoa brought the prepared AMA papers, a prescription, and a new sling for him, (since his previous one had mysteriously been misplaced!), along with a wheelchair, which Danny started to refuse to use until he saw Steve's face. _Conditions.._. He let Steve carefully strap his arm to his body with the sling, and then sat in the wheelchair and suffered the indignity of being pushed all the way to main exit in silence. He made a show of _walking_ to his car though.

In the Camaro, Steve brought Danny up to speed with the case while they picked up his prescription, coffee and malasadas, and then Danny grabbed Steve's cell and called Chin for an update.

"Danny, s'good to hear from you. How are you doing?" Chin's voice answered. Danny put the cell on speakerphone.

"I'm good, thank you. Feeling like I was hit with a Mack truck, but good."

"Steve? You okay, brah?" Chin then asked. Danny looked over at his partner.

"Yeah, I'm good. How's the stakeout? You got Scates yet?"

"No, no sign of him yet. HPD had a quiet night, Scates hasn't been back to his apartment by the looks of it, but we're hoping he will soon, because Kono is driving me nuts," Chin reported just as they heard Kono's exasperated _"What? You gotta be kidding me! That was a perfect shot, that pig should be toast!"_ in the background.

Exchanging an amused, baffled look with Danny, Steve added, "Yeah, okay. Keep on it. Danny signed himself out AMA and we're just gonna swing by my place so we can get showered and changed."

"What? Danny-"

"Chin, I'm fine," Danny quickly said, glaring at Steve when Kono's raised voice filled the Camaro with a heated,_ "What did he say? Danny did what?"_

"See what you did now, Steven?"

Steve blinked bemused. "What? What did I do, Danny? You did sign-"

"Seriously? You're still saying that out loud?" Danny yelled, his hand becoming more animated. He really didn't want to incur Kono's wrath, because he was positive the woman had secretly been taking lessons from Grace in the 'laying on the guilt trip' department. Even down to the puppy dog eye thing!

"Well, you did! Against medical advice!" Steve shouted back. "There, I said it!"

Even though Steve had told Danny that he knew he'd sign himself out, and didn't stop him, it didn't mean he was actually happy about it, (especially when he saw the bright spots of fever on the man's cheeks and the way he stiffly held himself!) Hence the not-so-unintentional slip of the tongue.

Chin looked across at Kono in their car, both putting their hand over their mouths to mute the laughing when the rant escalated to ridiculous proportions.

"Oh, and, like, you've never done anything like that, huh? Steven?!"

"What? When-"

"Try yesterday, you moron, at the ambulance. Hello _pot_, _kettle_ here," Danny snapped.

"We making tea now, Danno?" Steve snarked back easily. "Earl Grey or Green?"

"Earl Grey? What are you, the Queen of England? And don't call me Danno!"

"If I'm the Queen, would that make you my princess, _Danny_? Maybe I can find you a tiara for those baby curls."

Before Danny could sputter out an indignant response to that, they both stopped and stared at the cell practically vibrating with the shrill sound of Kono's laughter.

"T-tiara? Baby curls? _Bwahahaha_..."

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You," Danny growled at Steve, "Slowly and excruciatingly painfully!" And the SEAL for once had the good grace _not_ to smirk.

Instead, he bit his lip and said into the cell, "Call me as soon as Scates is in custody, then isolate him until we get there, alright? I wanna interrogate him myself."

"Copy that," Chin said and the lines disconnected.

The rest of the drive was done in a stony silence, though small smiles were carefully being hidden. Neither man was really furious at each other, but it was good to clear the air in their favourite way, and it felt good to verbally spar again.

When they got to Steve's house, Danny disappeared into the guest bathroom with a large bottle of Tylenol, while Steve headed for his bedroom and the en suite. The SEAL was showered and changed within five minutes and was in the kitchen making a healthy snack for them, (because, malasadas? Just... no), when he heard Danny's outrageous shout. He grinned to himself and carried on slicing cheese.

Danny stood gaping at the _Little Mermaid_ toothbrush. "Really, Steven?" he yelled. He'd actually been impressed and a little touched that Steve had picked up some clothes and his loafers for him, and, for all his teasing, even remembered his hair gel. But the toothbrush? It was Grace's, obviously, and Danny sighed, loading it with paste anyway. He'd buy her a new one.

The melodic tune of _Under The Sea_ made him roll his eyes. It was one of those stupid brushes that blared out music when you used it. Grace loved them. But then, she was a little girl.

Growling in his throat, Danny brushed quicker, deciding that _Steve_ was going to buy her a new one instead!

After an awkward one handed wash and shave, he narrowly missed spraying his face with deodorant, styled his hair, pulled on his pants, downed three Tylenol, and then stood frowning at his shirt. The hated sling had to go.

"Steve, get me out of this thing, please," he said coming out of the bathroom. Steve looked up.

"C'mere," he murmured, deftly helping Danny out of the support and on with his shirt. "You all minty fresh now?" he teased when Danny slapped his hands away from his buttons.

"Ha-ha. You're a funny guy," Danny muttered, roiling his eyes when Steve raised his brows holding the sling for him again. "I don't need this, you know," he griped as a token protest, but let Steve secure his arm in it anyway because he was still pretty sore, not that he'd admit to that.

"Humour me," Steve said sitting Danny down at the table. "Sandwich. Eat."

Danny grabbed his coffee and drained it, fighting down the nausea he was suddenly feeling. Picking up the cheese and ham sandwich, he bit his lip and tried not to imagine the greasy mayo sliding down his throat. He wondered if Steve would notice if he accidently forgot to eat it and looked up, deciding on a distraction, "We should get to work."

"After we eat and you take your meds," Steve said. "I told you – conditions."

Sighing, Danny ate his meal and took his pills, praying the food stayed put and tamping down the urge to roll his eyes and complain, because, even though the man looked a lot better having had a night's sleep and a shower and shave, that haunted look was still lurking behind Steve's eyes and Danny didn't want to hurt his friend anymore than he already was. But when he got home, the awkward sling was history, and he was going to stuff himself with pineapple free pizza and malasadas, and beer. Or maybe not, he thought grimly as the sandwich suddenly threatened to make a hasty reappearance. Suffering alone also sounded just as good.

Steve's next words quashed that fantasy in typical Super SEAL fashion; "You'll be staying with me until the doc says you can lose the sling."

Damn.

In the early afternoon, they got the phone call they'd been waiting for from Chin. Gil Scates had been apprehended and was in custody, waiting to be interrogated.

_Five-O HQ_

Kono greeted Danny as he walked into the HQ, with a warm welcoming hug, and then she scolded him for being stupid, and threatened to drag him back to the hospital if she saw him doing anything more strenuous than lifting a pencil. She wasn't impressed with the fact that he was a little warm, like he was still feverish, and her big brown eyes, expertly pleading, instantly melted Danny's resolve and he found himself promising as such.

Chin and Steve stood behind the two, biting their lips together.

"I'm interrogating Scates, though," Danny held up a finger. That was non-negotiable. The bastard had shot him, Danny wanted to _talk_ to man.

"I'm not gonna stop you, Danny, but-" Steve stopped Danny's interruption with a stern look, "But there'll be no physical altercations and you will take it easy. You understand me, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," Danny agreed.

In the holding room, Gil Scates was secured to a single chair, waiting for whatever fate was going to deal him. He'd gone over his story in his mind and was going to stick with it. He felt confident he'd be okay.

As soon as he recognised the two cops entering the room though, Gil's confidence quickly plummeted.

"I'm begging you, please, I need a reason. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bust you in your jaw right now sitting in that chair," Danny said loudly when the door closed. He glared at the man who'd shot him and stolen their boat with clear disdain.

Gil looked apologetic and shook his head. "Look, I didn't know you guys were cops."

"Oh, okay. What would you have done differently, genius? Shot us, instead of the boat?" Steve asked angrily. "Oh, wait, you _did_ shoot at us, and you shot my partner!"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Gil cried, staring wide eyed at Danny's strapped arm. "I am a fellow law enforcement brother. I have mad respect for you guys. If I'd known-"

"Shut up!" Danny growled heatedly. "You are an out of work rent-a-cop, alright? And you got fired for peeping in windows."

Blinking, Gil bit at his lip at this information the cops had. He fervently shook his head, "I didn't do that."

Danny raised his hand. "Stop. We are way past pretending here," he said seriously pointing at the idiot in the chair. "Your fingerprints are all over the boat."

"Al Burgess got you fired for snooping on his wife," Steve supplied, "So you lured him out there and you killed him in cold blood."

Frowning and shaking his head again, Gil looked up and answered, "We argued over the price of the boat..."

"Okay," Steve narrowed his eyes.

"...and he attacked me. It was self defence."

What the hell? Danny stepped in. "Hey. You are an unemployed security guard. You are three months behind on the rent. You could not afford a dinghy, let alone that boat!"

"We know you didn't go out there to buy that boat, so tell us what the hell is going on," Steve barked sternly. Gil swallowed hard and looked away trying to get his fear in check.

"Scates!" Danny started forward, his fingers curling into a fist. Steve quickly moved to stop him with a firm hand on his good shoulder. Danny looked up and immediately backed off at the unspoken warning clear in Steve's eyes.

It made Danny feel marginally better though when he saw the look of terror on Gil's pale face.

**H-5-0**


	9. Chapter 9

**H-5-0**

Kono, who was watching the interrogation on the monitors in the war room, picked up her cell when Chin's face appeared on the display.

"Howzit, cuz?"

"Hey, I just finished processing Al's boat," he reported from the _Katie_ at the dock. "The water intake valves were intentionally damaged."

"Okay, why would Scates sabotage the boat if he was trying to steal it?" she asked puzzled, watching Danny on the screen shout and jab his finger at the suspect.

"I don't know, but the damage would have gone unnoticed until they were several miles off shore, at which point the engine would have over heated and seized up."

Looking away from the screen, Kono's eyes widened in realisation, "Someone set him up."

"Yeah. I'm thinking that someone could be Katie Burgess."

"Our vic's wife?" Danny's angry shout pulled her attention back to the screen, and she frowned hard as Steve physically had to step in to stop Danny doing something stupid.

"Well, she was the only other person with access to the boat," Chin said. "Look into both of them. There's gotta be a connection that we're missing."

"Alright, you got it," Kono agreed and clicked off her cell. She blew out a breath at the standoff in interrogation, before quickly finding that vital piece of the puzzle they were missing.

**H-5-0**

"Gil, there was no self defence," Steve repeated loudly. "You deliberately went out on that boat to kill Al Burgess. It was revenge for losing your job."

They were getting nowhere. Something wasn't quite right, but they were still determined to find out whatever it was.

"See, we know everything," Danny announced with a wave of his hand. Gil looked up and shook his head – again.

"No. No, you don't."

Steve and Danny turned when the door was opened and Kono stuck her head in. "Hey, you guys are gonna wanna hear this."

They followed her out and closed the door. Kono critically eyed Danny's shoulder before revealing the crucial piece they were missing. "Alright, so our suspect and Katie Burgess were in on it together."

Both Danny's and Steve's brows nearly hit their hairlines. Steve asked, "What's the link?"

"Good old fashioned greed," Kono answered. "I ran Al Burgess's phone, and the last call Katie's husband made was to a local law firm."

"Lemme guess. He was gonna divorce her," Steve ventured. Christ, sometimes he just didn't _get _people.

"Yep, and according to the suits, the pre-nup would've left her with nothing," Kono nodded, her brows creasing when Danny rubbed at his shoulder. "You okay, Danny?"

"Yeah," he murmured. Steve narrowed his eyes at his partner, but saw the '_not now, please_' in his expression and backed off for the time being.

"Okay. So that's where Gil comes in," he continued instead.

"I swear, the pre-nup... it should be banned, okay?" Danny mumbled hoping to deflect the scrutinizing attention he was getting. "It's killed more guys than cancer."

"I'd recheck those statistics if I were you," Kono suggested with a smile. Danny smirked.

"So, Katie stood to inherit millions from her husband's death," Steve said still looking at his partner.

Kono nodded. "Minus whatever she offered Gil to do the job."

"Unless Gil wasn't in it for just the money," Danny finished with a raised eyebrow.

Steve rubbed is hand over his mouth. Danny was probably right, and wow, wouldn't that be just fucked up! Kono left them to it and disappeared to correlate the evidence they had so far. Steve narrowed his eyes at Danny looking for signs of pain and fatigue.

"Hey, I'm fine, Super SEAL," Danny muttered, "Let's get this done so we can close this case and go home, alright?"

Steve boldly reached out to check Danny's temperature, ignoring the exaggerated eye roll and indignant expletives. His skin was warm, but not worryingly so, and Steve blew out a breath, nodding his answer.

With a long-suffering shake of his head, Danny opened the door to the interrogation room and followed Steve inside to finish talking with their suspect, armed with the new information. Steve stopped close to Gil and looked almost sorry for him. Almost...

"Hey, Gil. It's pretty bad luck getting stuck miles offshore with Burgess's body," he said conversationally.

Gil blinked warily, "I tried to get the boat going; I dunno what happened," he told them, wondering why the cops were being... understanding? "So yeah, it was bad luck."

Steve shrugged. "Turns out luck had nothing to do with the boat not working."

"Somebody sabotaged that engine and made sure that radio wasn't gonna work," Danny added, revealing what they'd discovered. Gil snapped his eyes up at the detective.

"What?" No, no, that was wrong...

"I mean," Danny continued, "It was pretty perfect, you being stuck out there with that body. It's what they call a patsy."

"Patsy," Steve repeated with a nod.

Looking from one cop to the other, Gil asked, "What's a patsy?"

Danny almost laughed. "Well, if you have to ask..."

"We think you were set up," Steve stated with Danny nodding in agreement.

Gil shook his head. No way. No... _These cops_ were trying to set him up. "You're wasting your time."

Stepping closer to Gil, Steve simply shook his own head. "No. Somebody talked you into killing Burgess, and then made sure you were stranded out there."

"You're lying!"

"No, no, I'll let you see the crime lab report," Danny offered calmly with a half shrug. "The only way you were supposed to get off that boat after killing Al was in handcuffs."

"And there was only one other person who had access to that boat, right?" Steve asked.

Gil stared at them, his mind whirling. No, this couldn't be happening. It was supposed to be simple, foolproof...

"Katie Burgess," Danny said clearly in answer to Steve's question. Gil gaped at him. Danny narrowed his eyes curiously and gestured in his direction, "I am curious as to how she sold it to you. Uh, I mean, what did she say? She says, _'You take care of my husband, and then we will sail off into the sunset together, live happily ever after'_?"

Steve watched Gil carefully and saw the painful truth in his partner's words. Danny had hit the nail on the head.

"You weren't in love with her, were you?" Danny asked, his lips forming an 'O' when Gil looked away. "Oh, you were. Okay that's understandable. Love definitely makes you do some crazy things," he continued steadily, "Marriage, mortgage, kids. I personally would draw the line at murder, but I am not a romantic like you, Gilbert."

"Katie wouldn't do that," Gil protested, but he was beginning to doubt himself.

"You're willing to bet the rest of your life in jail on that?" Steve asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Gil sighed and shook his head. "No."

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Danny stepped forward and said. "You're gonna get in touch with your... with Katie Burgess...

"Tell her you want to turn yourself in, tell them it was-" Steve stopped and looked at Danny, "Self defence. Alright? I want her confession, Gil, you understand?"

A wave of heartache rolled through Gil, but he nodded, and watched as Danny and Steve left him alone again to get Gil's cell phone.

"You think he'll do it?"

"He's got nothing left to lose," Steve shrugged. "Besides, he has to."

"Oh, of course, because _he has to_," Danny mimicked. "So sayeth Steve the Super SEAL?"

"Something like that," Steve smirked. They collected the cell from Kono and headed back down. "You doing okay, Danno?"

Hearing the softly expressed concern, Danny skipped his usual retort and nodded. "Yeah, a little achy but honestly I'm good. Ready for a Longboard out on your lanai," he smiled.

"Not while you're on medication," Steve disagreed airily.

"You know, you can be really annoying, Steven," Danny scowled. Steve just grinned.

They entered the interrogation room and while Steve released Gil from the chair, Danny handed him his cell.

"On speakerphone," the detective ordered. Gil took it and dialled his lover's number, the ring echoing loudly in the confined space.

"Yes?" Katie's voice answered. Steve and Danny listened intently.

"Katie, I need to see you," Gil said into the cell. "The cops just left my house, and they were asking a lot of questions. I think I bought myself some time, but I don't know how long." He closed his eyes, not for the first time wishing he'd never agreed to Katie's stupid plan. "I wanna turn myself in. I want to... I'm gonna tell them it was self defence." He looked up as Katie gave the cops what they wanted, and his heart broke.

"Gil, listen to me. Of course the police are going to be looking at you. They're just doing their job. As long as you didn't leave any evidence behind, you'll be fine. Now _stick to the plan_ and don't call me again. You got it?"

Steve and Danny looked grim as the dial tone sounded. Gil looked positively sick. They picked up the cell and left the man to his own regrets, walking silently out of the room.

"I'm gonna go arrest Katie Burgess," Steve muttered with a frown when they entered the war room. He handed Danny the cell phone. "I'll be back soon. Chin can take you back-"

"No, no way, I'm gonna wait on the arrest," Danny quickly interrupted.

Eying Danny critically, Steve shook his head noting the flush he'd been wearing almost all day. "Okay, but you park your butt on the couch in your office and don't move," he compromised knowing the man just wanted closure, too.

Suddenly too tired and feeling like shit to argue, Danny simply nodded, smirking when Steve's eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Seriously, Super SEAL. Couch. Butt. Parked," he promised, hand up, "Swear to God."

"Alright, good."

"Be careful, babe," Danny added as he watched Steve grab his gear, and Kono, before they flew out of the Five-O offices in a blur. He acknowledged Chin with a small wave, and then went in search of his Tylenol.

**H-5-0**

With sirens blaring and lights flashing, Steve speeded to Katie Burgess's home, HPD behind him. They arrived to the sounds of gunfire and quickly jumped out of their vehicles in time to see Jenny, Al's sister, walk outside, small pistol in her fingers. Steve's sharp eyes spotted it and he drew his weapon, aiming it right at her.

"Whoa! Hey! Five-0! Drop it. Drop the weapon, right now," he shouted. "Right now! Put it down. I'm telling you to put it down!"

Kono, her own gun poised and ready, carefully stepped forward, "Jenny, listen to him."

Jenny let the gun slip from her shaking grip and looked up, her eyes wide and shocked. "She killed my brother."

The HPD quickly gathered up the suspect's weapon and secured her, while Steve and Kono cautiously entered the house. They found Katie's body lying in a pool of her own blood on the terracotta tiles.

"She's dead," Kono murmured as she failed to find a pulse. Steve sighed heavily.

"Okay, get the Crime Scene Unit and the ME here, then we'll call it a night," he said. It wasn't the end he'd hoped, but the case was over. Just the paper work now, but that could wait until later.

Kono stood up and nodded, leaving Steve staring at Katie lying so still in front of him. Needless death, and for what? It was a sick and twisted world they lived in.

**H-5-0**

Chin opened another Longboard, sat back, put his feet up, and stared out at the beautiful sunset at the back of Steve's property. The sun was disappearing into the horizon, leaving gorgeous hues of red and gold dancing across the sky.

"Never gets old, does it, cuz?" Kono smiled from her lounger.

They were all on Steve's lanai, winding down after one hell of a weekend.

"Oh, I dunno," Danny mused, "Last sunset I saw, I'd been shot, attacked by a shark, boat-jacked..."

"Yeah, but we made it back okay, Danno," Steve added handing his partner a chilled bottle of water and his latest dose of medication. He sat down and took a healthy swig of his beer. "Besides, I seem to remember you were napping when the sun actually set. So you missed it."

"Napping?" Danny gaped. "You mean I'd passed out, after being shot, attacked by a shark and, y'know, boat-jacked?"

"Mmm maybe fainted," Steve mumbled into his bottle. Danny's eyes widened. Chin and Kono grinned. "Swooned?" the SEAL suggested.

"Williams' don't faint! And we certainly do not _swoon_," Danny stated clearly, glaring menacingly at Steve. "Passed out."

"Passed out," Steve repeated.

"Yes."

"Not fainted."

"No."

"Or swooned."

"No, Steven," Danny scowled hard.

"Passed out," Steve reiterated.

Grinding his teeth, Danny nodded. "What about this are you not getting? Yes!"

"Manfully," Steve added helpfully.

"Yes, manfully. Manfully passed out," Danny agreed. His lips quirked up into a grin he was unable to stop when he saw Steve trying to valiantly hide a smile behind his bottle.

A second later, Kono burst out laughing, Chin, and then, inevitably, Steve joining in. Danny glowered hard at them all as best he could, but in the end he laughed too, with a half-hearted token protest of "Shut up!"

They sat in companionable silence while the sun went down, enjoying their beers and fact that they were currently officially on downtime for the next two days. Danny was staying with Steve, and Rachel was due back from the Big Island with Grace, and the man was looking forward to spending a little quality time with his daughter after school.

Kono and Chin had plans with a surf board and a cherished Harley-Davidson, respectively.

"There's something wrong with this picture," Danny suddenly frowned, looking at his water and then at his friend's beers.

"Not while you're on meds, Danny," all three team-mates chimed in at once. Danny just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

That was ohana for you!

Ten minutes later, Chin and Kono turned to see both Danny and Steve sound asleep on their loungers, exhaustion finally catching up with them.

"Oh look," Kono cooed reaching into her jeans. "They've _manfully passed out_."

Pocketing her cell again, she grinned evilly at Chin. Those pictures were going to get her out of paperwork for at least a week.

**H-5-0**


	10. Chapter 10

**[Totally gave up trying to suss out my new mobile (I mean, Smart Phone? Smart? Oy!) and decided to escape with my fave boys instead... and finished the fic tonight yay!]  
**

**So, last chapter...**

**H-5-0**

Danny fiddled with Steve's coffee machine one handed, scooping in an unhealthy amount of ground beans, before the SEAL came back from his ridiculously long morning swim. He shook his head thinking of the miles the man swam in a week. He certainly lived up to his acronym.

Impatiently drumming his fingers on the counter top, Danny threw furtive glances out of the window as he waited for the coffee to drip into the carafe. He felt a lot better after a good night's sleep, and was craving a decent cup of his favourite beverage. But, unlike Steve, he liked his morning caffeine hit strong, and made a certain way. Kono's coffee was pretty close, but Steve's was like witch-piss.

"Come on," he hissed, looking out of the window again at Steve's private beach. No sign of the SEAL yet.

The coffee maker started hissing and Danny smiled, breathing in that enticing aroma with one deep inhale. "Mmmm..."

"That sounds almost obscene."

"Jesus Christ!" Danny yelped, his hand gripping his chest. "You freakin' Ninja! What are you doing, sneaking up on people? It's wrong, just wrong! You scared the shit outta me!"

Steve grinned and shook his head, cold water from his hair peppering Danny's warm skin. "You're looking better this morning. S'that coffee?"

"AGH! You Neanderthal! What are you? A dog? Get a towel!" Danny sputtered. "Yes, it's coffee, and I should make you make your own after that."

Finally towelling his hair dry, Steve narrowed his eyes at the black tar dripping sluggishly into the carafe. "You planning on asphalting the driveway, Danny?" he asked warily, "Because that there is _not_ coffee..."

"Asphalt-?" Danny glared at him. "This is coffee, and what's more it's _good_ coffee. Not that insipid stuff you brew." He poured himself a cup and lifted it to his nose. "Mmmm... Now that's a morning kick better than swimming to Maui and back."

Peering into Danny's mug, Steve wrinkled his nose at the dense black liquid and grimaced when Danny took a long drink – no creamer, no sugar, just pure, very strong, bitter Arabica coffee.

"That's just... God, how can you drink that?"

"And you a Super SEAL," Danny smirked, savouring his caffeine hit, "Can't hack a good cup of good coffee." He refilled his mug and sat down.

Listening to Steve rummage through the kitchen cupboards for a bowl and his box of _Mornflake Hawaiian Oat Granola_, (what Danny referred to as rabbit food for Super SEALs), he couldn't help letting his mind drift back to their fishing trip, and how much he enjoyed it – before they were boat-jacked of course. A small smile played on his lips as he sipped his coffee and remembered the excitement of reeling in that huge tuna fish. Danny wished he still had his cell with the photographs, but at least he had the memories, and, luckily, the tuna, which was now with Kamekona. He couldn't wait to see what the big Hawaiian guy cooked up with his prize catch.

Steve leaned up against the counter and scooped a spoonful of cereal into his mouth, watching Danny as he chewed. He could see the smile and wondered what he was thinking about. Knowing that they were meeting with their friends by Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, after Danny's doctor's appointment, for lunch at Kamekona's shrimp truck to sample what the budding shrimp entrepreneur had created with Danny's tuna, Steve had a fairly good idea what it was that his friend was fondly remembering.

One side of his mouth quirked up in a grin as he said, "You're thinking about how much fun it was catching that tuna, aren't you?"

Danny raised his brow and put his mug down. "And how do you know what I'm thinking?"

"I know."

What? Danny scowled... _Super SEAL Super Ninja Mind Reading powers now?_ "No, you don't," he stated loftily.

"Yes, I do," Steve simply smiled. Now he was sure.

"Okay," Danny challenged, pointing his finger at Steve, "I'm thinking of a movie. What am I thinking now, huh?" And the movie _Jaws_ subconsciously (and inconveniently) popped into his head.

Steve didn't even hesitate. "_Jaws_," he grinned confidently. Danny blinked and quickly shook his head smugly. But then Steve added around a mouthful of granola, "_Part two_."

"Ugh, I hate you," Danny grumbled and rolled his eyes. Was he that transparent? Christ. He finished his coffee and stood up, refilling his mug with more.

"No, you don't, you love me," Steve snorted, put his cereal bowl down and took the carafe off Danny, pointedly looking at him before turning to the sink, and pouring the rest of the industrial strength toxic gloop down the drain. He shook his head at the thick residue left coating the bottom of his sink and rinsed it away. It took three attempts.

"Seriously, Danny, you have a problem," he stated staring at the amount of sludge in the coffee filter when he opened the machine. Steve knew then Danny had to be feeling better to be able to stomach that shit. He emptied it in the trash and refilled the coffee machine the way he usually did, with a quarter of the ground beans Danny seemed to have used.

"Well, me and my _problem_ are gonna go for a shower now you're back," Danny smiled standing up again. "Do the honours?"

Steve helped him out of the sling. "Don't get that dressing wet," he shouted as Danny headed to the bathroom.

"Yes, mom," Danny yelled back.

Shaking his head, Steve grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee, smiling at the translucent brown liquid before doctoring it heavily with creamer. He took a sip and closed his eyes. Heaven.

**H-5-0**

Walking back to the Camaro after seeing the doctor for Danny's follow up appointment, Steve checked his watch and smiled. They still had plenty of time to get to Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon. Although still sore and tender, Danny's doctor had been pleased with his progress, telling him that he should have full mobility in the shoulder within weeks, and although he wouldn't clear the detective for work just yet, (a decision Steve fully supported, much to Danny's frustration), the doctor compromised by saying he could return for light duties once his course of antibiotics was finished. The resulting smile at that news made Steve chuckle.

As for the sling, Danny was determined to get rid of it. Steve knew his friend was worried that it might scare Grace if she saw it when she came over that afternoon, (even though the little girl knew her daddy had been 'slightly hurt at work'), but he was concerned that Danny might be trying to do too much too soon. The doctor had said he could take it off for short periods of time, and only if it didn't cause the still healing shoulder too much discomfort. But Steve knew Danny would simply interpret that as gone for good.

"Just help me off with it, Steve," Danny insisted as they stood by the Camaro. "Come on, babe, it's uncomfortable and chafes like a bitch," he griped when Steve hesitated.

"_Chafes_?" the SEAL repeated with a look.

Danny narrowed his eyes at him. "Yes, Steven, chafes, as in its rubbing the fuck out of the back of my neck. My skin's red raw."

Pursing his lips, Steve saw his sore neck where the sling had irritated the sunburned skin and winced in sympathy. Nodding he reached over to help him off with it. "Short periods of time, Danny," he reminded him as he climbed into the driver's side of the car. Danny buckled himself in the passenger seat and shrugged.

"Yours and my definition of 'short periods of time' differ."

Steve did a double take and gaped at him. _Here we go..._

"You have Aneurism Face. Why do you have Aneurism Face?"

"What? I don't have Aneurism Face!" Steve denied firmly. "What does that even mean?"

"It means, Steven, that I know what you're thinking," Danny accused, eyes narrowing. Steve scowled and started the car.

"We're playing the mind game thing again? How do you know what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Danny's hand flew up to the Oh-Shit bar as Steve swerved into the traffic. "Jesus, Mario Andretti, this is _not_ NASCAR!" He glared at his partner, snapping his eyes to the front when Steve turned and beamed an annoyingly huge megawatt grin at him.

"So, my turn? I'm thinking of a-"

"We are not playing a game, you goof," Danny growled. "Concentrate on getting us to Kamekona's _in one piece_, alright?"

Smiling, Steve nodded and expertly drove them all the way to Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, casting surreptitious glances Danny's way to make sure he was really okay.

"What time is Rachel bringing Grace over?" he asked to keep up a light conversation. He'd learned that he could gauge his partner's state of mind (and if he was in pain) from the cadence of his voice. It was a great indicator.

"Three o'clock," Danny answered smiling at the thought of seeing his baby girl. It was going to be the first time he'd seen her since she got back from the Big Island, and he was looking forward to it. Steve and Cat were leaving them the run of the house, giving Danny and his daughter some quality time together.

"So, don't forget, I'm just a phone call away," Steve reminded him, "Cat and I will-"

"I can manage, you know," Danny interrupted him with an exaggerated sigh. Geez, he wondered if he looked up 'Mother Hen' in the dictionary, would there be a picture of Steve there staring back at him?

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Danno," Steve smiled apologetically. Maybe he was being a little too keen, but he'd started having nightmares of that day stranded on the boat with Danny, bleeding and hurt... And from the distressed noises he'd heard from the guest room in the night, Steve assumed Danny had, too. It was something they both had to work through, and they would. Eventually.

"But, thanks again for, y'know, letting me and Grace have the place to ourselves," Danny said softly.

"Anytime, buddy."

Max and Cat were already sat at the table next to Kamekona's shrimp truck when Steve parked the Camaro next to the blue corvette. As they got out, Kono and Chin pulled up beside them.

"Hey, guys! Danny, how're you doing?" Kono asked closing her door. She looped her arm through his and walked with him to the table. Steve went ahead when Cat smiled at him.

"I'm good," Danny nodded. "Doc says I can come back to work."

"He did?" Chin asked dubiously looking at Danny's shoulder. "Where's the sling?"

"Said I could stop using it," Danny smiled convincingly. He half shrugged when he saw Steve glaring at him. "What?"

Turning to Chin and Kono, the SEAL shook his head and told them what Danny had deliberately omitted. "The doctor said Danny can come back to the office to do light duties _after_ he finishes his course of meds, and-" he looked at Danny, "He did not say you could stop using the sling!"

"Yes, he did, Steven," Danny argued back, before they both then said together, "For short periods of time!"

A second later, the two men started laughing. Chin and Kono just rolled their eyes along with Cat and Max, obviously not privy to what looked like a lame private joke.

They sat down at the table, with Steve and Cat perched up on the one next to it, opened the bottles of beer, (soda for max and, much to his disgust, Danny), and as they waited for Kamekona, Steve and Danny launched into the lively and exciting story of how they caught the tuna. And just as they were arguing about how big the fish was, Kamekona walked towards them with a huge platter in his hands.

"Okay," he announced with a proud grin, "The moment you've been waiting for. Feast's up! Everybody dig in!"

Grabbing their forks, everybody sat back and admired the culinary delight in front of them. Fresh tuna, herbs, and a whole lot more on a bed of crisp lettuce. It looked delicious.

"Danny's first tuna," Chin smiled indulgently.

"Right. Alas, my fishing career is over," Danny nodded.

Steve looked at him, "Forever?"

"With you, yes."

"Ouch," Cat laughed.

Lifting his beer, Steve took a drink hiding his smirk.

"Perhaps you'd enjoy bone-fishing," Max suggested to Danny helpfully.

"Bone-fishing? That, uh, that doesn't sound creepy, Max," Danny said. "What is that? You and your cut-up-dead-people buddies do what?"

"O'io, as they are called here," Max explained happily, "They're the number one saltwater game fish. You fly fish with them in saltwater flats—it's quite relaxing."

With a glance up at Steve, Danny asked, "Does it involve sinking dinghies, boat-jacking, or tiger sharks?"

"It's a bit more elegant than deep-sea fishing. I took Kamekona last week."

"And I barfed the whole time," the big Hawaiian said.

"Okay, there you go," Danny leaned back and waved his hand, "Someone who dislikes the water as much as I do.

"No, no, no, no. I love the ocean," Kamekona corrected, "I just got sick of pulling those hooks out of those poor little fishes."

A chorus of laughter filled the air until Kono nodded, "Yeah, I hear ya!"

"Hey, that was my job when you were a kid," Chin reminded her.

"Hey, it wasn't 'cause I was scared, cuz," she said smiling, "I let you do it, 'cause you wanted to take care of me."

"I still do," Chin stated, a slow blush pinking up his ears when everyone awed and teased him.

Steve took the opportunity to lean forward to Danny. Lifting his beer bottle, he quietly said, "Hey, to Billy Selway."

Danny smiled, touched that Steve remembered his childhood friend and had respectfully kept what Danny had told him private, knocked their bottles together, and toasted, "Billy Selway."

"Alright, enough talking; it's _poke _time," Kamekona soon called loudly, wanting everyone to try out his dish.

"I was waiting. I was waiting. Let's go," Danny said digging in. The taste exploded in his mouth. "That's excellent."

"Mm wow," Steve sighed around a mouthful, closing his eyes.

Danny took some more, nodding at the others that were enjoying it just as much. "This is excellent. This is awesome," he praised. "It is really good."

"You sure?" Kamekona asked.

"I'm absolutely positive. It's really good," Danny repeated sincerely, taking another mouth watering bite.

"I'll leave this with you then."

Everyone laughed at Danny's face when Kamekona presented him with the bill.

"What is this?"

"It's a bill."

"I see that it's a bill," Danny frowned confused. "But why are you giving it to me? I brought you a fish—what are you charging me for?"

"My cooking services," Kamekona answered proudly.

"What?" Danny blinked up at the Hawaiian.

"Superior life skills."

"What is that, like a corkage fee?" Chin asked.

"Exactly."

"Oh, cooking what?" Danny wanted to know looking down at the tuna dish. "What'd you cook? It's raw fish. You didn't cook anything."

"Alright, you brought me a fish," Kamekona agreed, but then added with flair, "I gave you a _meal._"

Danny looked at the bill again and up at Steve when he heard him laughing.

"What are you looking at me for?" the SEAL asked trying to wipe the grin from his face and failing. "I told you to get it stuffed."

"Oh, so you put him up to this?" Danny accused, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"No, I didn't put him up to it," Steve shook his head honestly. He grabbed another forkful. "It's pretty good though."

"Good," Danny decided and handed him the bill. "Then you can pay for half of it."

Laughing, Steve took the slip of paper and read it. He was more than happy to share the cost. Hell, he'd pay the whole thing if Danny would let him.

Kamekona leaned in and told him quietly, with a wink and a grin, "Cash is good. I don't take credit." Steve smiled back and nodded. He stood up and raised his beer in a toast.

"To Danno's first fish," he said loudly.

"And last," Kono added, laughing when Danny emphatically nodded.

And everyone joined in with a chorus of _I'll drink to that!_ before finishing off the meal, and enjoying each other's company, relaxing together and celebrating life, Hawaiian style.

~end

**This has been a lot of fun to write and thank you so much for all your reviews! I really appreciate them all. **

**As much as I would love to keep them, I'll reluctantly give the guys back now, until the next time...**

**Many thanks again, Bryce x**


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